


You're my cup of tea

by Moonyki



Category: EXO (Band), SHINee
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Romance, Tea Shop!AU, lots of pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-03-25 02:52:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 60,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13824948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonyki/pseuds/Moonyki
Summary: Jongin recently discovered he likes tea a lot. Taemin works in a tea shop. But Jongin truly loves tea. Not only the cute tea shop's seller. Chanyeol gets involved in everything. & Kyungsoo speaks french.





	1. Sakura Imperial

**Author's Note:**

> Here we go for the TeaShop!AU no one asked for.  
> To all the people out there who don't like coffee. ♥  
> This fanfiction is about Taekai, and is mostly Jongin!centric. Chanyeol is very present, Kyungsoo comes by, Monggu is there, and other EXO members make an appearance, along with Adam & Eve.  
> It's a silly, fluffy, meek little story that was supposed to be a One-Shot but ended up as a small multi-chaptered fanfiction.  
> Each chapter is named after a tea blend I like. Yes. Because I'm a nerd.
> 
> .
> 
> To all tea lovers :  
> I tried to make this story a bit realistic, unfortunately, my knowledge about korean teas is quite limited. I'm very sorry. Some types of teas found in Taemin's tea shop won't make a lot of sense. I hope it won't be too much of a problem.

.

It had all started, somehow, thanks to Park Chanyeol. A lot of things in Kim Jongin's life had been turned upside down and, mostly, improved because of Chanyeol. And that one, the big one, the most important thing in his life, happened because his friend put the first piece on the chessboard.

Jongin and Chanyeol had been best friends since high school. When they were both 24, they had been roommates for three years. That was the year that Jongin met Taemin. It often appeared weird to other people, how someone as shy and quiet as Jongin could be friends with someone as loud and extroverted as Chanyeol. The whole point of their friendship was that they were so different, that they completed each other in the best possible ways. They each made up for what the other lacked.

Chanyeol had a lot of friends besides Jongin. Jongin had very few friends besides Chanyeol. And that fateful Christmas, Chanyeol had an idea that he thought was absolutely _awesome_ and decided to invite all of his friends to their house. When Jongin's eyes had widened impossibly, he had added, for good measure, that « all of his friends » really meant « only the very best ones », which actually meant that only five people were coming. Jongin had started breathing again after that clear up, since he knew three of them already. Sehun was his favorite of them, because he was quiet but funny.

Chanyeol had told Jongin that he should invite friends too, but it would have been too difficult. Jongin's only two really good friends, besides Chanyeol, lived in France and China and couldn't exactly make it for a Christmas party in Korea. Jongin was far better at developing friendships online than in real life. That he ended up friends with Chanyeol was only thanks to the fact that the other had come to him in the first place and never left him alone after that.

Because they were -almost- all pretty young and caught up in studies and/or working small jobs and not earning a lot, it had been decided that they would do a Secret Santa Gifts Exchange. Each one of them would bring a random gift that could end up in anyone's hands. It had to be nice enough or somewhat useful, but not too expensive. They had to repeat their definition of « not too expensive » to Junmyeon several times, because he didn't live in the same world as the rest of them. Chanyeol also made it clear to Baekhyun that offering a sex toy would be weird, so _please don’t_.

With presents of all sizes, wrapped more or less nicely, they all sat in Chanyeol’s and Jongin's living room and started the game with a set of dice to decide which gift would go to whom. It lasted half an hour of gifts going from one pair of hands to another as the dice rolled, rolled, and rolled some more. There were some whines when one of them lost the gift that they had found the prettiest or the heaviest; the one they had wanted to keep so badly but had to let go of. Finally, the game had come to an end, and they started to open their presents with joy, laughs, and chips.

When Jongin unwrapped his black box with a childish excitement and saw what he got, he couldn't hide the disappointment on his face. It would have been a really great gift for some people in the room and somewhat okay for the rest of them. Really, for him to be the one to end up with two bags of apparently very refined and subtle coffee was just immense bad luck. It wasn't even that Jongin didn't drink coffee; he actually hated it with his whole being. Even the smell of it made him wrinkle his nose.

Jongdae spent ten minutes apologizing, because he had been the one to buy that gift. He had had no idea that one of them hated coffee with a burning passion, and Jongin had tried his best to swallow his pout and assure him that it wasn't that bad. Minseok then asked if everyone would be okay with it if he were to exchange his still wrapped present for Jongin's, because it really was so sad for him to end up with coffee if he disliked it that much. And despite the game's rules, they agreed to it. Baekhyun had tried to argue that life was unfair, and rules were rules, but Chanyeol was ready to throw a tantrum for Jongin's sake, so everyone had to go with it. Plus, Minseok was ecstatic to get his hands on the bags of coffee.

So really, all of this was also thanks to Minseok. Chanyeol and Minseok had been the ones to bless Jongin's life.

When he opened the new gift, hoping it wouldn't be something equally as terrible as coffee (even if there was technically nothing he could think of that could be as bad as coffee), Jongin blinked.

"What did you get?" Chanyeol asked, his voice breathless as if the fate of his own life were inside that present.

"Tea," Jongin answered with a small smile.

There, in a pretty bag that was decorated with little snowmen, sat three bags of different teas. There was a yellow fruits-flavored green tea, a Christmas blend black tea with almonds and cherries, and some Oolong mixed with raspberries and cacao.

"Do you like tea?" Baekhyun whispered with a worried frown.

"I don't drink it that much, but I'm very happy to try," Jongin admitted with a shy smile.

And Baekhyun, who had been the one offering the tea bags, seemed relieved and even, glad.

In the end, it was also thanks to Baekhyun.

 

Jongin hadn't lied. He wasn't one to drink tea before that fateful gift. But his Christmas gifts smelled so good that he decided to try them. Thankfully, Baekhyun had explained to him a little bit about brewing and how to make a cup of tea correctly. Meaning, he told him to be careful and only let it infuse for as many minutes as was written on the bag. He explained that if Jongin let his tea infuse too long, it would probably be bitter and disgusting.

It happened to Jongin once or twice, forgetting about his mug, and he’d had to make another cup all over again, because he couldn't drink something so strong. But in the end, he really liked those teas. Slowly but surely, drinking tea became a habit for him, and he often found comfort in the hot mug in his hands.

 

One day, Jongin decided that he should go to a tea shop and discover more teas. His bags were already half empty (there was less than 1/4 left of the delicious green tea), so he figured he should go to a store and get some more. As he knew next to nothing about tea shops, he decided to go to the one Baekhyun had been to, so he looked up the name written on his tea bags.

That's how Jongin found himself on a street he never went to, on a fine Thursday morning. He found the tea shop quite easily and stood in front of the showcase for a moment. There were so many types of teapots, cups, and boxes on display; it was kind of unsettling. Jongin didn't have a teapot yet. He had only started to drink tea one month and a week ago. And, he only drank from his mug.

He finally entered the shop and was met by absolute silence. The place was rather small but very luminous and cozily decorated. There was such a rich, sweet scent in the air that Jongin had to close his eyes for a moment. Everywhere around him there were shelves and shelves of more boxes and more cups. And behind the counter, he saw a whole wall of the same containers placed one after another with different labels on them. He soon understood that that was all of the teas, cleverly arranged.

When he heard small footsteps, Jongin's attention suddenly went to his right, and he turned around a bit, noticing the narrow staircase going down.

"Sorry, I'm coming," came a voice.

Jongin wondered if he should answer, because he was okay with waiting. He didn't know what he wanted yet or even what he was going to say to a seller. He needed a little bit more time just to take in everything around him.

Before he could decide, a man appeared, dusting off his small, green apron. When the seller straightened up, Jongin stopped breathing. He literally stopped breathing. The air got knocked out of his lungs, and he opened his mouth stupidly.

He had come there simply to buy new teas, so he definitely hadn't prepared himself to stumble upon the most beautiful man who had ever walked the Earth. That was, at least, Jongin's very objective opinion.

"How may I help you?"

Jongin closed his mouth and forced himself to swallow. He needed to stop staring. He really needed to. It was kind of rude, and the man was waiting for an answer. But there he was, frozen, staring so much.

Jongin liked men. It wasn't something very easy to live with in Korea, but Jongin liked men. Men were incredibly handsome and attractive. Not all of them, but still, too many for Jongin to live his life peacefully when he couldn't flirt easily. Even if it had been socially acceptable in his country, flirting just wasn't something Jongin was comfortable with. So, it would have been better not to stumble upon very beautiful people who reminded him of how lonely he was. Constantly.

It had happened a few times, that he found himself in front of a man he found excessively good-looking, which usually ended up in him not being able to look at said person in the eyes, blushing a lot, and stammering. It had happened the first time Chanyeol introduced him to Jongdae.

But right then, that seller seemed to defy every law the universe had ever tried to make. It shouldn't be possible to be that gorgeous, Jongin decided. It shouldn't be allowed. This couldn't happen. The universe couldn't create someone so lovely and just throw poor Kim Jongin in front of them without warning.

" _Life is unfair; the sooner you accept that, the less you suffer._ "

That was something Baekhyun always said with an insufferable smirk.

"Sir?"

Jongin blinked once, twice. He felt a tight knot in his throat and a blush creeping up his cheeks and forehead. He finally managed to tear his eyes away from the far-too-pretty face in front of him and decided that glaring at the shelves of tea containers behind the man was far safer.

He cleared his throat a bit.

"I'm uh-... Yes. I'm new... to tea."

He felt like a high schooler all over again. His heart was hammering in his chest, and his palms were so damn sweaty. He wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

But he tried his best to steady himself and balled his hands into fists.

"I'm not sure I understand," the perfect human being in front of him said with an apologetic tone.

Jongin rubbed at his ear, because that's what he always did when he felt nervous.

"I don't drink a lot of tea," he struggled out. "I don't know a lot. But I wanted to try... and hum-... I got some teas from your shop as a present…" he knew he was blabbering too much, but he couldn’t stop. "I just wanted to try new ones. But I don't know where to even start?"

The slightly worried look on the man’s face softened in understanding, and he smiled. Jongin cursed himself for letting his gaze fall on him again, because that smile was making it hard for him to breathe, once again.

"Oh. I'm sure I can help with that, then. Which teas did you already try? Do you have a preference?"

Jongin nodded and fumbled in his pocket for a second, grabbing the sticky note that he had written the names of the three teas he had at home on. He congratulated himself for thinking to write them down. It had saved him from the embarrassment of forgetting the names due to the intense stress caused by the man in front of him looking like everything Jongin had ever wanted from life.

"That's-... Those are the ones," he managed to say. "My favorite is the green tea."

Jongin thanked the universe that their hands didn't touch when he gave him that little piece of paper. He wasn't sure he would have survived that without blushing into carmine red. The seller just looked at him, frowning a bit, visibly surprised by how all of this was going. Then he glanced down to read Jongin's handwriting.

Meanwhile, Jongin was staring again. He was drinking in the sight, really. The man had his head tilted a little bit, and the blond strands of his hair were falling away from his face. His full cheeks and plump lips, the roundness of his eyes and the delightful beauty mark on his nose, all of him was dreamy.

"Do you actually prefer flavored blends, or have you simply never tried pure tea?" the seller asked.

Jongin just looked at him blankly, completely lost. He had absolutely no idea what that perfection was talking about, and he felt really, incredibly stupid. The man had on that small smile of his again. He shook his hand in apology as he turned around, taking a container from one of the shelves.

"Flavored teas are when flowers, fruits, or aromas are added to the tea plant. You can either drink that, or you can drink some sort of pure tea. Which means that it is only the actual tea plant prepared a specific way."

He opened the box in front of him and used a large utensil that looked like a spoon to pick up some of the tea, presenting it to Jongin.

"You can try smelling it. I think that, most of the time, simply smelling it helps to tell if you’re going to like drinking it. This one is a sencha tea."

Jongin leaned in and winced immediately. It smelled kind of bad. It was too strong and bitter. He really wasn't going to drink that.

"I'd say you didn't like that, did you?"

"Not really. I'm sorry."

The seller shook his hand again, telling him that there was nothing to apologize for. He put the container away and took out another one. He made Jongin smell a few other kinds of pure teas, but none of them was to his liking, and he started to pout.

"Okay, I'm the one who's sorry now. Let's just-... Let's go for flavored teas, since you seem to like them," that dream of a man said.

And that was, indeed, far better for Jongin's nose. Some still smelled kind of gross, but other ones seemed delightful. After a few more minutes of inhaling and sniffing, Jongin couldn't smell anything anymore, and they decided that it was enough for a first time. He had settled on trying a green tea with cherry blossom in it, and the seller had on a cheeky smile when he explained that the base was a sencha tea, just like the first one Jongin had hated.

"Thank you for your purchase. I hope to see you in our shop again soon," that divine man chirped as he bowed after giving Jongin his bag.

Jongin slowly walked backward, smiling awkwardly and not daring to make eye contact again.

"Hum yeah. Thanks for the help. I'll probably come by again. Another day."

After that encounter, Jongin had been awkward all day. He had clumsily made it back to his apartment and had made a cup of his new tea to calm his nerves. He had tried to remember when the last time was that he had been that flustered in front of someone but couldn't. But he also wasn't prepared to admit that it was the first time in his whole life that he actually felt his knees shake that much just from looking at someone else. Once again, he thought of that seller as the most beautiful man who ever walked the Earth.

His mind had been in the clouds all day, even when he arrived at work for his six-hour shift that lasted until the store closed.

 

Jongin had wondered for a week about how often he should visit that shop. How many times a month would be too many and turn him into an awkward stalker? Some days, he thought he should actually never set foot in there again, because his heart couldn't take the beauty of that seller. Other days, well... he really wanted to see him one more time. Just one more time.

Jongin's love life was pretty pathetic, if you asked him. It was pretty sad, if you asked Chanyeol. It was difficult for Jongin just to make friends, so finding a boyfriend had proved to be a real challenge, especially with Jongin's expectations and way of life. He wasn't one for clubbing. He didn't like drinking. He wasn't about partying all night. He didn't like small talk. And the few times he had tried his best to force himself into those things, in order to at least meet someone in a discreet gay bar, he had been so stressed and disappointed that he had decided never to inflict that awkwardness upon himself again. But it also wasn't that easy to randomly meet a gay man in the street, talk to him, like him, and be liked back.

Jongin didn't actually like to think about his love life, because it usually made him wallow in self-pity.

The point was, he probably shouldn't go back to that tea shop and drown in the beauty of that man, because that would only end up with him feeling even sadder for himself. That seller was out of his league in every possible way.

He told himself that, but he found himself in that tea shop three times in one month anyways.

The second time he went in there, he found that seller again, with his charming smile and sparkling eyes, and it seemed like the man actually recognized Jongin. Jongin smelled eight new teas and bought two. The seller sweet-talked him into buying boxes too, because the tea would be kept better that way. And even though those damn boxes were awfully expensive for metal crates, Jongin bought three without question.

The third time he went, he was greeted by a girl, and it took everything he had in him not to show the disappointment he felt in his heart. He still bought one new tea.

Jongin earned a good living, and he didn't have any particularly expensive hobbies like Chanyeol who spent all of his money on video games. He didn't have any costly habits either, like buying super fancy pants or eating at high-class restaurants three times a week. So, he could spoil himself in that tea shop once a week without burning a hole in his pocket.

He had soon collected quite a lot of different teas, and it was getting a bit out of hand. He now had so many teas in the kitchen that he shared with Chanyeol, that they had enough to drink for a few months. But that didn't stop him from going back, hoping his seller would be there. Then Jongin started going on the same two days, because he was fairly sure his seller would be working. He tried not to think about how creepy that made him, but he had been quite happy to discover that the sellers in that shop, contrary to him at his job, always had the same shifts.

 

"Wow."

Jongin turned his head towards the kitchen at Chanyeol's loud exclamation. His eyes left the book he was currently reading, as he was lying lazily on their couch in the quiet living room. He would have gotten up to see what was going on if his precious poodle wasn't sleeping on his feet, making it impossible for him to move. He was trapped.

Instead, Jongin put his book on his chest and straightened up a bit, leaning on his elbows.

"You okay in there?" he asked, loud enough for his friend to hear.

Chanyeol came out of the kitchen, looking at him with wide eyes.

"I just realized how many teas you have. Like... they take up the whole damn shelf now. When did you buy so many?"

Jongin gave Chanyeol a guilty look and cowered in on himself a bit, his ears turning red.

"Well it's-... I buy some regularly. I didn't realize that I had so many either. Sorry."

Chanyeol was quick to smile at him, shaking his head.

"It's not a problem. I was just surprised, that's all. Where did you put my Iron Man bowl?"

Jongin squinted at him.

"You mean my Iron Man bowl..."

"Yeah, whatever."

"It’s in the cupboard next to the fridge. With all of the bowls. Like always."

Chanyeol rolled his eyes very dramatically before looking at him, deadpan.

"Duh, I already looked. It's not there. When it's not there, it's because I put it on the shelf. But now there’s only tea on the shelf. Where's the Iron Man bowl? I want my rice in the Iron Man bowl."

Jongin sighed at him and went back to lying on his back, opening his book again. It was a very interesting book, and Chanyeol had interrupted him mid-sentence.

"Well then, it must be in the sink. Dirty."

Chanyeol went back to the kitchen, and his shout of victory told Jongin that the Iron Man bowl had been found. By the time Jongin was done with his chapter, Chanyeol had sat down next to him on the ground, eating his kimchi fried rice in his beloved bowl.

"So...," Chanyeol started.

Jongin scrunched up his nose but put his book down once again.

"Yeah?"

"You’ve become a tea person."

Jongin sneered, rubbing his nose.

"I guess so, why?"

Chanyeol let his head fall back onto Jongin's thigh.

"Nothing. I'm just glad that you liked Baekhyun's gift," he mused. "That being said, I think we can open our own tea shop now..."

He laughed at his own comment, and Jongin pinched his ear.

"I didn't buy all of it at once," Jongin felt the urge to defend himself.

"But do you even drink them all?"

"I do!"

Chanyeol used his chopsticks to poke at Jongin's cheek.

"There must be at least twenty teas in there."

Jongin rolled his eyes. He opened his book again and hid behind it. He wasn't even reading it; he just needed something to shield himself.

"Only eighteen."

Chanyeol burst out laughing.

"Such a tea person. Who would have guessed? My mom's gonna be so happy the next time we go visit. She can teach you all about tea ceremony if you want."

Jongin made a small sound, not wanting to commit himself to anything. Talking about tea was making him think about his seller again and how unfairly cute he had been the last time Jongin saw him. He always wore the same uniform and looked dashing in it. But last time... last time he had combed his hair away from his forehead, and just the thought of it made Jongin's stomach feel like he had eaten butterflies. Seeing his whole face had been a brand-new level of pain.

"Are you listening to me?"

Jongin jumped when he felt Chanyeol tickling his ribs, and he blinked few times.

"What?" Jongin croaked.

"I was asking if we should put another shelf in the kitchen, or are you gonna stop now?"

His tone was teasing, but Jongin snorted.

"You can do that, yeah. I'll need it."

There was a small moment of silence, before Chanyeol burst out laughing again. He apparently hadn't expected that answer. The sound of his amusement woke up Monggu, and the poodle raised his head, yawning in Chanyeol's face before he jumped off the couch, probably to seek shelter in his owner's bedroom, away from the loudest human on Earth.

The subject seemed to be closed. Chanyeol went back to eating his kimchi rice, moving his head to the beat of a song that was probably stuck in his head, and Jongin opened his book again for the umpteenth time.

But he couldn't read anymore. His eyes stared at the same line for a few seconds without it making any sense at all.

"Channie?" he called, tentatively.

He felt a weight inside his lungs.

Chanyeol turned his head, his eyebrows rising as he glanced at him. Jongin’s voice had grown small, like it always did when he was somehow uncomfortable, and it worried Chanyeol.

"What is it?"

Jongin closed his eyes, unable to look at his friend when he confessed.

"The tea shop's seller is really cute."

Chanyeol beamed. He literally beamed, turning around to come closer.

"Oh? Is that why you keep going back?"

Jongin put his arm over his face, hiding the blush on his cheeks.

"Yes," he whined.

"Do you even like tea?" Chanyeol sneered.

Jongin hit him on the shoulder with his free hand.

"I do! I'm not that pathetic yet."

There weren’t many people who knew about Jongin's sexuality, but Chanyeol was one of them. Of course, he was. He had been the very first person to know. He had probably even known it before Jongin did.

"Do you have a crush on him? How cute is he exactly? Do you know his name? Did you two flirt?"

Chanyeol was always pretty ecstatic whenever Jongin admitted that he liked someone. This was probably because it was quite rare, and Chanyeol was easily overjoyed. Most of the time, Jongin’s crushes didn't turn into anything, really. But Chanyeol was always impossibly hopeful for his best friend to get into a relationship.

"I don't know his name," Jongin slowly answered, his voice still slightly sulky. "And, of course, I didn't flirt."

"How cute?" Chanyeol asked once again, impatiently.

Jongin peeked at him from behind his arm. His face was an intense shade of red.

"Very, very, very cute."

"I wanna see him! Take me there with you next time," Chanyeol exclaimed.

"No way!"

Jongin's hand came up to push at Chanyeol's face. Chanyeol grabbed ahold of his wrist and pulled, almost causing his friend to fall off the couch. This started a wrestling match, and they both ended up on the ground, their limbs all tangled. Jongin had Chanyeol in a head lock but was trapped by his friend's arms and one of his legs.

"Why can't I meet him?" Chanyeol groaned.

Jongin pouted.

"If I take you there, you're gonna make comments, and you're gonna be too loud, and he's gonna hear you."

Chanyeol opened his mouth, then closed it. It wasn't as if that hadn't happened before. He had embarrassed his friend once or twice, which usually resulted in Jongin feeling terrible and really sad for a few days. Chanyeol had never meant to hurt Jongin, though.

"You just don't realize how loud you whisper sometimes," Jongin added in a groan.

"I'm sorry," Chanyeol reluctantly grumbled.

Jongin felt like he had to comfort his best friend and reward him for not insisting on this. He knew it took a lot for Chanyeol not to insist.

"You can go on your own though... If you really wanna see him. Just don't mention me in any possible way, okay?"

They finally let go of each other, since their muscles were starting to itch from their small fight.

 

Two months after his very first visit, Jongin had gone back to the tea shop's website. He had simply wanted to check on the opening times, because that week he had plans with Chanyeol on Wednesday and had to work at the other time he usually went to the shop (Thursday mornings). He wanted to make sure the shop would be open at the same times on Monday, even if he wasn't sure that he would actually have enough luck for his seller to be there. He kept telling himself that he at least had to buy a new box because one of his teas was still in its bag, and his seller had told him that boxes were better.

It was a bit ridiculous of him, because why would the shop be closed on Mondays anyways, but Jongin was an anxious little person.

It turned out that the shop was open on Mondays, but Jongin's eyes were drawn to two words on a green tab: "Our Team". He was then met with a picture of a woman, followed by a funny little text explaining that she was the owner of the shop and giving her favorite tea and a few other random pieces of information. At that point, Jongin's throat constricted a bit. He scrolled down and saw a picture of the woman seller he had seen at the shop once or twice and learned her name was Saerom.

Then there were two other people he didn't know before his eyes fell on a picture of his pretty seller. His name was Taemin.

The small text under his picture was silly, and it made Jongin smile. It mentioned Taemin being a clumsy and troubled little soul that apparently only calmed down with tea. Taemin had a favorite: a green tea blended with roasted brown rice. Jongin took note of trying it before he could stop himself. Then he spent a few minutes trying to convince himself that saving the picture of Taemin would be creepy.

.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello dear readers, ♥  
> this was the first chapter of "You're my cup of tea" and I really hope you liked it. Please, don't hesitate to shoot me a comment to share your thoughts on it if you want. Every little message is greatly appreciated.  
> Also, I'm planning to post every Wednesday, if all goes well, so you can expect a new chapter in a week. (*•̀ᴗ•́*)و ̑̑  
> See you then, hopefully. (✿˵•́ ‸ •̀˵)  
> Have a nice week.
> 
> FYI: "Sakura Impérial" -the title of the chapter- is a wonderful tea from the French brand Mariage Frères. It's the green tea with cherry blossoms that Jongin buys when he meets Taemin.


	2. Seven Samurai

.

Kim Jongin had a lot of interests. Even as he kept saying that he was a boring person, Chanyeol was always there to chirp how smart, curious and brilliant his best friend was. And curious, he really was. Jongin had a thirst for knowledge that had him hide behind books ever since he was a kid. He liked to learn a lot of things about very different subjects.

He had learned about astronomy in different books and magazines, a few months ago. There had also been a time when he couldn't keep himself from watching wildlife documentaries, and he could keep a serious conversation about tropical animals by now. He kept finding enthusiasm upon very various topics.

It had been quite natural for him to read a good amount of books about the origins of tea and tea ceremony, once he had discovered how much he liked it. Chanyeol teased him constantly about the fact that he could open his own tea shop by now and hire his precious Taemin in it. Jongin kept rolling his eyes and shaking his head as if he was exasperated by his best friend's antics, but the blush on his ears betrayed him. Maybe that was a really nice little dream.

There was something in particular that got Jongin exceptionally passionate about; languages. He had learned English in high school, and had taken upon learning Chinese by himself when he was 16. If he were to be asked, there were at least ten other languages that Jongin would love to learn, but he didn't exactly have time for any of those. By now, his Chinese skills were rather impressive and that was also thanks to his very good friend, Zhang Yixing. They had met online, through blogs of common interests, and when Jongin had understood that behind that common English username, was a Chinese boy, he had been overexcited. He soon asked him to help him out with his self-educated study. After a while, Yixing had wanted to learn Korean too, and they both shared lessons and tips. They even met, once or twice, when Yixing had come to Seoul for holidays or business.

At 21, once again through his blog, Jongin had met another friend. When they exchanged their real names, Jongin had laughed a lot before immediately switching to speak Korean. It turned out Kyungsoo wasn't able to read Korean. His friend was born in France, from two Korean parents. He could speak Korean quite correctly, but never bothered himself with learning how to read and write, so exchanging through computers from two different sides of the planet, left them to communicate in English.

As their friendship strengthened to lengths Jongin would have never imagined, he found himself eager to learn French.

Kyungsoo was everything Chanyeol was not, and could make up for the small parts where his best friend never truly understood Jongin. Kyungsoo was quiet, calm, always offered the best advices, and had this aura that made Jongin feel safe. He had very simple and modest dreams, but shared a lot of Jongin's passions, especially about books.

Kyungsoo even knew about Jongin liking men. It hadn't come up in the conversation so easily, but when it did, Jongin realized he felt comfortable enough to be honest. Kyungsoo was often a bit worried for him, asking if it wasn't too difficult to live with, in Korea, saying it was such a pity because in his own country, it was a lot more okay. Not perfect, but somewhat okay. That made Jongin dream about living in France a few times.

Of course, Kyungsoo had learned all about Taemin. When he had tried to cheer for his friend and coax him into asking the seller out, Jongin had to remind him how badly homosexuality was looked upon in here. And trying to flirt with Taemin could seriously offend the man and he wasn't sure what would happen and he really didn't want to never be able to go back to the tea shop, and thus, never see him again. And Jongin couldn't trust himself to be subtle. He had no idea how to do things like that correctly, so he'd rather do nothing and sigh internally every time he got to see the lovely smile of Lee Taemin.

 

 

Chanyeol barged into Jongin's room, making the poor boy jump on his bed and drop his book on the floor. But Chanyeol didn't seem to notice, or if he did, he didn't mind, nor apologize. Instead he stood in the doorway and opened his arms wide.

"I have seen the gorgeous tea shop's seller!" he yelled.

Jongin visibly winced at the outburst and sat on his bed, picking up his abused volume of “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” from the floor. He turned an anxious frown to Chanyeol as he waited for more explanations. But it didn't come and he had to resign himself to ask.

"So?" he inquired, in a short breath.

Chanyeol grinned at him and came closer to sit on the edge of his bed.

"He's really handsome."

Jongin had a giddy smile. That was something about Chanyeol he was so grateful for. His best friend had never been ashamed with him; he truly had never judged Jongin for liking men, and he was never awkward to admit when he thought a man was good-looking. Park Chanyeol was far above shame. He simply admitted stuff, ever so easily it was disarming. And so very comforting for Jongin.

"I know, right," came Jongin's tiny voice.

"I want you to date him so badly now. He really is nice. You'd be cute and all! I'm sure we'd be friends, him and I."

Jongin's hand gripped his sweater laying on his bed and he shoved it to Chanyeol's face with a grunt.

"Yeah, tell me about it."

His voice was bitter.

"I mentioned you," Chanyeol continued, matter-of-factly.

That got Jongin to freeze and turn, very slowly, to his friend. His eyes went cold and scared.

"What did you just say?"

"Well, I hadn't any good reason to come to the shop and I couldn't just admit to his face that I was there to check him out, you know..."

Jongin splinted his eyes, greeting his teeth as he felt anger and stress boil up in his stomach.

"I asked you one thing, Park Chanyeol. I specifically asked you to not mention me under any circumstance!"

Chanyeol threw his hands in the air defensively, backing away just enough to be out of Jongin's reach in case the man decided to go for his throat.

"Yeah yeah, I know, but I didn't think it through. So he was there, asking if he could help, so I said I came here to buy a gift for a friend..."

Jongin stopped and relaxed just a little bit. If Chanyeol mentioned him that way, it was safe. Taemin couldn't even make the link between the two of them. It really was okay.

"You could have said that you only came to see, you know. And not spend money. Not every person who enters a shop comes out with something."

Chanyeol stayed silent for a moment.

"As I said, I didn't think it through..."

He got up and went out of the room to pick up a bag he had left by the door. As he came back, he gave it to Jongin with a smile.

"Here we go, that's for you. One more tea for your expending collection."

Jongin rubbed his neck shyly as he thanked him, and looked inside the bag to see which tea Chanyeol got him.

"As you can imagine," Chanyeol started to explain, "I was completely lost in front of all those teas, you know. So I told him I didn't know a lot and you were the one to buy all the teas and I don't even know which one you like and which ones you hate and all. So then he took one and told me it's a classic, very loved by their customers but I said you come here so often you probably have it already if it's so classic and he looked a bit confused. So I was like, you know, telling him you really really like tea and you're a loyal customer in there and I described you a bit... Like you know, saying stuff like “yeah he's tall, dark hair, dark skin, always pouty, comes at least once a week” and boy, his face lightened up! I swear! I really think he recognized you. He was like “oh yeah, I think I know who this is" and I was "wow cool" and he was like “yeah”..."

All the colors drained from Jongin's face as he listened to his best friend in this world's long betrayal. Chanyeol even had the nerves to be all joyful as he narrated how he put a knife right into his back. Jongin was so shocked that he couldn't even interrupt him and he stood there, petrified, taking in the depth of how Chanyeol ruined his life.

"So then," Chanyeol went on, oblivious to his best friend's horror, "he was laughing, saying something like “if it's the person I think about, you'll have trouble finding a tea he didn't buy already” and I was like “man, I really think that's him because he could open his own tea shop by now” and he was laughing some more. He's really cool. Also... you love the way he laughs, don't you? I thought it was so cute, I could just picture you dying in there."

Jongin's heart suddenly broke. He even forgot his anger for a moment, because it was too painful. He had never seen Taemin laugh and what Chanyeol was speaking of was something Jongin didn't know of. And it suddenly felt so unfair, how easy it was for Chanyeol to make people like him and laugh with him, when he, on the other side, just stood there nervously and only got professional smiles from the person he had a crush on for more than three months.

"Anyway, we talked a bit and he said there was one tea that he thought you didn't buy yet and that you could like, judging your previous purchases and oh... I was rubbing my hands together because he totally remembers you. That's good, right? I mean, for all we know, he could like you too. So I got you the tea and I think if you really don't have it and you like it, you should ask him out because that would mean he totally remembered your purchases perfectly for three months and he wouldn't do that for just anyone now, would he? I mean, do you remember every purchase of your customers? Even the ones that come regularly... I don't think so. I think that's a clue! He likes you, period."

Chanyeol finally shut up and looked over to Jongin's devastated face. His smile disappeared into a frown and he shook his hand slowly before his friend's eyes.

"Jongin? You okay?" He asked in a worried tone.

Jongin's heart was hammering in his chest. He didn't even now how he was feeling in that moment, because there were so many conflicted emotions screaming in his head, but none of them was particularly good.

"I-... I asked you not to mention me," he accused, his face dark with disappointment.

Chanyeol gave him that guilty look, with a timid smile, that he always used to get himself out of troubles.

"Yeah but-... I was a bit nervous and in the end, it turned out quite great, don't you think?"

Somehow, imagining Chanyeol being nervous was laughable.

"I never heard him laugh," Jongin continued, this time with a much sadder voice. "And by that, I mean I never made him laugh."

Chanyeol bit his bottom lip and looked truly remorseful this time.

"Thanks for the tea," Jongin sighed before putting the bag aside. "Can you leave me alone now?"

He didn't look back at his friend and let himself fall on his bed, his face turned towards the wall. He wasn't one to scream at people, it was rare for him to get angry to the point of yelling. And in the end, all of that made him more sorry for himself than anything else. Chanyeol saw that in the way he curled up on his blanket, and culpability hit him.

"Jongin, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-... I didn't want to hurt you. I thought I was doing something good."

Jongin closed his eyes, sighing heavily. He knew Chanyeol wouldn't leave. His friend kneeled on the ground in front of the bed and his big hand came to rub against Jongin's back in a soothing caress.

"I'm really sorry. I only wanted to help."

 

 

It took only twenty minutes for Jongin to forgive Chanyeol, because he wasn't able to stay upset with him longer than that. Despite the intense jealousy he still felt upon the fact that Chanyeol had seem to get closer to Taemin in ten minutes than he had been able to in three months, he was forced to realize that his best friend didn't ruin his life that much. Jongin hang on to the fact that Taemin seemed to remember him, and he had felt dizzy when he had seen that he didn't have the tea Chanyeol got him. It was a wonderful tea; a green and black tea blend with marigold flowers and vanilla pods called “Monks tea”.

Jongin had even found a small sticky note attached to the bag where he could read “a fantastic tea for mornings” with a strange “6v6” emoji.

 

 

"Oh, it's you... Welcome."

Taemin gave him one of his large, sunny smile that still got Jongin's throat to go dry and painful. His crush hadn't go down in the least. It had only gone worse, with each passing week, just as Jongin had feared.

"Hey," he only answered.

"What can I help you with today?"

His tone was always lighthearted, a bit cheeky.

Jongin had spent the last five days wondering how he laughed.

He stayed silent, his eyes going over the shelves of tea as he bit his bottom lip. He did came here today with a mission, sort of.

"I got a customer a few days ago," Taemin suddenly mused.

Jongin's eyes fell back on him and his beautiful seller was staring at him with mischief.

"He came here for a friend, and he bought a tea called “Monks tea”."

That was the tea Chanyeol had gotten him. There was a challenge in Taemin's voice, a silent question, and Jongin felt a sparkle of mischief crackle in his belly.

"Really?" Jongin asked nonchalantly. His eyes went back to the teas and he searched for a moment before pointing a container above Taemin's head. "This one?"

Taemin's smile faltered a bit with disappointment. Jongin couldn't help but wonder if his pout meant anything at all.

"I really liked it," Jongin suddenly confessed with a smirk.

Taemin blinked, and his lips broke into another smile.

"I knew it, I knew it was for you!"

Jongin really wanted to ask him out on a date. He so wanted to talk to him about things other than tea. Tea certainly was a good subject, but after a while, it just wasn't enough anymore.

Jongin kept going back to the same questions. Could he find a way to engage in another conversation with Taemin? How could he bring their small talks into something new without being weird? If only he was as comfortable with people as Chanyeol.

"You surely grew to be very fond of tea in a few months. I'm very proud."

"You're proud of me?" Jongin repeated with surprise.

Taemin had a sly smile.

"I'm proud of myself. You came in there not knowing anything about tea and I got you hooked up enough that you keep coming back. I did a good job with you, didn't I?"

Jongin hoped he wasn't blushing right now, because that would be very embarrassing. Taemin did got him hooked up. The desire to just kiss that smug face of his was making Jongin fidget.

"Yeah, you sure did."

Taemin tilted his head, his expression going back to serious and professional. He was a bit taken aback by the lack of playfulness in Jongin's tone.

"So, what do you want today? I'm sorry to say that we didn't get anything new since last time. I'm not sure there's any tea left in my store that you haven't smelled yet and either bought or disliked."

"Well, actually, I'm here for a friend," Jongin said with an impish smirk.

Taemin squinted at him a bit as he crossed his arms on his chest.

"Oh, really? Is he tall, dark hair, dark skin, always pouty, handsome, and comes here at least once a week?"

Jongin smiled widely, his nose scrunching a bit as he shook his head.

"That's how your friend described you," Taemin added, his hand coming to rub his neck.

Jongin was so absorbed in the fact that Taemin was biting his bottom lip that he completely missed the red tint at the tip of the seller's ears.

There was also the fact that Taemin just called him handsome. It might only be Chanyeol's words being repeated, but he said it nonetheless and Jongin's heart was very busy trying to waltz out of his chest.

"I'm really buying a gift," Jongin assured. "I have a friend abroad and he likes tea too, so we're doing like-... a swap? He'll be sending me teas from his country, and I send him some nice stuff from here."

A very soft smile appeared on Taemin's face.

"That's such a nice idea," he whispered. "Do you have any ideas which teas you want to send him?"

"I may have one or two ideas, but I was counting on your good advices."

Taemin straightened up, rubbing his hands.

"What does he like?"

"Well, he likes flavored teas too, so I thought about sending that green tea with goji berries and lemongrass. But I'd also like to send him some very traditional things... Like the brown rice tea."

He knew it was Taemin's favorite. He had read it on the shop's website and when he had come to buy it, the man couldn't stop chirping that it was excellent and that he really hoped Jongin would like it. He had been so excited about sharing his most loved tea, Jongin just had to admit that he was completely and irredeemably smitten.

Without any surprise, Taemin's whole face lightened up when he heard him.

"That's some really great choices. I totally agree with you."

"If you have any other idea, I'm listening. I thought a package with three or four different teas would be nice, so that he can try various things and if he doesn't like one, it's not too sad."

Taemin nodded eagerly before turning to his wall of teas, humming to himself.

"Where does your friend come from, if you don't mind me asking? So I know what kind of teas he might know of or not."

Jongin didn't mind at all. Taemin could ask him whatever he wanted, really. Jongin wouldn't mind anything.

"He's from France."

Taemin's eyes widened a bit, but he stayed silent and nodded to himself, turning back to his teas.

"I'd say you could try to send him some ginseng tea, it's strong but so very Korean, if you want to go for traditional teas. And then add another sweet flavored green tea like the Seven Samurai. It's the one with pineapple, mango, papaya, coconut and cocoa beans."

"That's perfect," Jongin agreed promptly.

Of course it was. Taemin had the best ideas.

His seller winked at him. And then started to prepare the four bags of tea with expertise. He weighed each one very carefully and stopped as he put the labels on.

"Does your friend understand Korean? If not you should write him a note with the translations, at least for the brewing time and such."

Kyungsoo had slowly managed to convince himself to learn how to read Korean, but he was still too lazy to do it properly.

"He struggles a bit with reading, I think I'll just write him a translation. Thanks."

Taemin nodded and finished storing the tea containers back before he made Jongin pay for his order. Taemin put everything for Jongin in a shopping bag, and stopped himself just as he was about to give it to the man, slowly blinking and looking at his customer with hesitation.

"So...," he murmured, "you said you were doing a swap with him, right? You're going to get some French teas?"

Jongin wasn't sure how to interpret the waver in Taemin's eyes, but as soon as he approved, he could see the envy painted over his face.

"You're so lucky," Taemin pouted. "There are a lot of very nice brands of tea in France. Please savor them."

Jongin wanted to text Kyungsoo right away and ask him to send every damn tea in the whole country so he could offer them to Taemin, but that would probably be very weird.

"Oh, really? Do you have any recommendation? Something specific I should ask for...?" he still tentatively inquired.

"I don't know so many to be honest with you. I got some occasions to taste one or two brands already, when I go to specific tearooms, and I mostly read about them... But if I may say... there's-... there's really one tea I got to drink once in a French tearoom in Busan and I think it was probably the best tea I ever had. I think you'd like it too, it's a very sweet flavored tea with an Oolong base and flowers."

No matter what this tea was, Jongin would beg Kyungsoo to find it if it was the last thing he'd do in his life.

"I can't say the name correctly," Taemin continued with a shy smile, "but if you're interested, I can find it back and write it for you? You don't have to, of course. It's just-... well. It was a nice tea. I'm sure you'll get some really nice teas anyway."

"Please, write me the name," Jongin stammered with a little bow.

Taemin nodded and laughed. He laughed. It was a very tiny laugh, but it was there for Jongin to hear and witness. Taemin's hand immediately came to cover his mouth in shyness and he started to fumble around on his counter for a pen and a paper.

Meanwhile, Jongin wanted to bounce everywhere because he got to hear Taemin's laughter.

Taemin got his hands on something to write on and pondered for a moment, bitting his bottom lip before he took his phone out of his pocket.

"Sorry, I want to be sure...," he murmured and Jongin waved his hand as to say he could wait.

It took a few minutes for Taemin to find back that famous tea. He was frowning and sighing and he kept apologizing to Jongin. He was even starting to blush with discomfort and Jongin wasn't sure what to do to help.

"Ah! It's this one! I got it!" Taemin finally exclaimed before he wrote down the information.

He put the note in Jongin's shopping bag and finally hold it out for him to take.

"Thank you a lot for your purchases. I hope to see you soon again."

 

 

When he went home after work that night, the first thing Jongin did was to text Kyungsoo and beg him to find two bags of the “Jardin du Luxembourg” tea. He made sure to write down the brand with it and send enough emojis so that his friend would understand how super important it was. He even told him he could pay for it because he really needed two bags. He didn't know yet how he would manage to offer it to Taemin without dying of embarrassment, but making his crush happy was more important than surviving an anxiety crisis. He'd find a way later.

Kyungsoo answered fast enough, explaining it was no trouble at all because he had a shop of that brand in his city and he could go the next day and Jongin felt like hugging him a lot.

" **You're the absolute best person in this world** ," he texted with a giddy smile.

After that, Jongin went out of his room and yelled for Chanyeol to know that he was going to take a shower. He only got a loud grunt in response before he locked himself in the bathroom. As he was undressing, he kept replaying in his head everything that happened with Taemin, when he had been to his shop that morning. They had talked so much! They even went just a tiny bit more personal, thanks to that wonderful person, Do Kyungsoo.

But as he was smiling to himself in the mirror, Jongin felt something bothering him. He was thinking back on that very precious, fantastic moment when Taemin had called him handsome. There was so much hope in his tiny heart, that maybe, Taemin really did mean that word. Even if it still wouldn't imply that Taemin was gay and interested, it would mean so much to Jongin's poor neglected heart. After all, Chanyeol himself always admitted when other guys were good-looking. It didn't mean he was going to date them.

Suddenly, Jongin halted in his movements. He went back to the door, unlocked it, threw it open, and yelled for his roommate.

"Chanyeol-ah!"

There was a loud bang, then a curse, then a lot of noises and another door opened. Chanyeol came to him with a frown on his face, taking in the sight of Jongin in his boxer, only one leg still in his pants.

"What is it, idiot?"

Jongin pleated his eyes at him.

"What did you said to Taemin, exactly?"

"What do you mean?" came Chanyeol's annoyed sigh. "I'm studying hard right now, my brain is all mushy, be specific."

"When you went to see him, and described me for him to recognize me. What were your exact words?"

Chanyeol's eyes widened and his eyebrows rose on his forehead.

"Waah. You bother me for that? 'you serious?"

"Chanyeol, please!"

"Okay, okay...," Chanyeol grunted. "I told you already though. I don't remember it exactly now. I said you were tall with black hair, I guess. And I said you always look pouty, because that's true you know, your resting face is whiny. That's because of your mouth, you always look like you're sulking. And also I said you're tanned. Like, your skin."

Jongin nodded as Chanyeol reviewed his words. When his friend was done and looking at him with exasperation again, Jongin's breath was caught up in his throat.

"That's it?" he asked.

His voice was more acute than usual.

"Hum? Ah yeah, I also mentioned that you went there like, all the time. I think you see him more than you see me those days."

Jongin was internally screaming to the rhythm of his heart bouncing against his ribcage.

"So hum-... you didn't-... Did you say something like-..."

"Form sentences, please."

"Did you call me handsome?"

Chanyeol scowled, and took a few seconds to think, before he shook his head.

"No."

Jongin's face broke into the largest smile Chanyeol had ever seen him make.

"Thank you!" he shouted before he slammed the door shut and started to dance alone in their bathroom.

Chanyeol stood there for a moment, before he rubbed his eyes.

"Weirdo...," he sighed as he went back into his room.

Jongin finished undressing, his hips never stopping to go left and right with the excitement of such good news. Taemin did call him handsome by himself. It might mean nothing in the end, but he still did it.

.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!  
> I hope you're all doing okay. I'd like to thank you all for the precious comments & kudos I already got. I hope you liked this 2nd chapter & that it held up to your expectations (๑>ᴗ<๑) you can always share some thoughts with me down there.  
> I wish you all a very good week & I'll see you next wednesday!
> 
> FYI : "Seven Samurai" - one of the teas Jongin buys for Kyungsoo- is a wonderful, delightful tea from the lithuanian brand "Gurman's". (it's one of my favorite tea ever, yup)


	3. Jardin du Luxembourg

.

Jongin was finally going home after a very long and tiring Saturday afternoon at work. He had texted Chanyeol already to complain about how much his feet were hurting him, from running around at work for 6 hours straight, and his beloved roommate had promised there would be chicken and a nice superhero movie to welcome him home. And the man hadn't lied.

As Jongin opened the front door with a loud sigh, taking his shoes off by throwing them on the side, his eyes fell on Chanyeol's silhouette slumped over the couch in his famous Rilakkuma onesie, eating chips while zoning out on some random show on TV.

"Yo," Jongin breathed out, dragging his feet towards the couch to let himself fall on it.

Chanyeol didn't blink away from his comedy show and waved at him.

"Chicken's on its way to us. You can choose between Avengers or Guardians of the Galaxy."

Jongin smiled lazily as he stretched on the couch.

"We haven't watched Guardians in a while."

"Yes but Iron Man is in Avengers," Chanyeol said, raising his index as he finally looked at his friend.

"Good point."

Jongin wiggled a bit, let out another exhausted sigh, and rose back up.

"Still, Guardians please. I'm gonna take a quick shower, don't start the chicken without me. I'll know if you do. And you'll regret it."

"I solemnly swear that I won't touch the holy chicken," Chanyeol sneered, giving Jongin a playful kick on his knee.

Jongin made his way out, turning back to his roommate one last time to point at him with two fingers and slowly bring them to his eyes as he mouthed a “I'm watching you”. Chanyeol snorted.

Jongin had put on his own bear onesie because apparently, it was some onesie night. Chanyeol had been decent enough to keep his promise to not start eating without him, and they feasted together watching the movie, replaying their favorite parts three times each and reacting the best dialogs together. They kept complaining and commenting about the exact same things they always judged while watching it, like some old, forgetful couple.

It was only when the chicken box was empty and the movie over, that Chanyeol looked at Jongin as if he hadn't seen him in three weeks, and blinked at his face.

"Oh," he blurted. "You've got mail by the way."

Jongin didn't move from his suspicious position that didn't seem comfortable in the least -he was sprawled over the armchair, one leg dangling into the void-, but made a small sound of acknowledgment.

"It's a package, I think it's from your French friend or so..."

Jongin suddenly straightened up, wincing at the small pain in his back from such an abrupt movement.

"What? Where?"

Chanyeol threw one of his arm towards the small furniture next to the front door, where a rather large package was standing in uncertain balance. Jongin jolted out of his seat and ran to the package to get it with eager hands. He brought it back to the couch, grabbing a knife to open it.

"Wow," Chanyeol chuckled. "Is there money inside or what?"

"Nope. Tea."

His roommate rolled his eyes, going back to play on his phone as Jongin was struggling with the box. It finally opened and a strong scent of flowers and tea invaded the room, even covering the lingering smell of chicken. Jongin closed his eyes with a smile, inhaling longly.

"'smells nice enough," Chanyeol commented, rubbing his eye and feigning indifference.

But Jongin didn't even pay him any attention, as he was reading the small letter Kyungsoo had left him. His friend had tried to scribble some sentences in Korean and his handwriting was very funny to Jongin.

"What are you laughing at?" Chanyeol asked, coming closer to peep over his shoulder, but Jongin moved to stay out of reach.

Jongin didn't bother to answer him, going through the long explanations his friend left him about the three different teas he sent him. Kyungsoo was actually apologizing because he had been forced to buy the tea for Taemin in the official box of the brand, as it wasn't sold in his store in regular tea bags. Jongin blinked, thinking this was the last thing on earth to apologize for, and looked over at his package. There stood two nice bags, one white, one light green, and two black little boxes. Jongin took one in his hands, opening it to find a very nicely sealed metal crate. It was so precious and beautiful, the thought to actually offer one to Taemin made him quite nervous.

He still had to figure out how to make it look like not such a big deal.

 

 

In the end, after three days of looking at the stylish and refined box holding Taemin's favorite tea, Jongin still had no idea how he could possibly be casual about giving it to him. He had finally decided there was no accidental way to offer a gift to a seller in one's favorite shop, and he would just have to go through it as spontaneously as possible and hope for the best. Because there was no way he would back down now that he had it in his hands. It was for Taemin. It had always been for Taemin.

Also, Jongin had the occasion to taste the famous tea twice already, and he had to admit it was delightful in every possible way. The simple scent of it was already heavenly, but the flavor was so sweet and succulent, with a delicious taste of honey, that it got Jongin addicted in one sip.

Wednesday arrived, and Jongin found himself 100 meters away from his tea shop, his right hand anxiously closed around the handle of a shopping bag where rested Taemin's little box of tea. He kept telling himself that he could do this, it couldn't go that wrong, and beside a rush of embarrassment, nothing truly terrible was going to fall on him.

As he pushed the door open, his eyes fell on Taemin, who somehow, managed to seem even more radiant than usual. Jongin wondered how the man could always outdo himself and continue to become prettier with each passing day.

"Hey there, long time no see," Taemin sing-songed with a smile.

His eyes cracked up into two small crescents and Jongin fell deeper into the pit of adoration he was buried in.

He hadn't been able to come last week, that was probably what Taemin was teasing him about.

"Sorry," he mumbled and stopped himself before he could admit something mortifying like “I missed you”.

"How have you been?" Taemin asked, leaning on his counter.

It was the first time his seller was so casual with him and for a moment, Jongin wondered what was happening and if maybe, he was dreaming. Taemin seemed to catch on his surprise, because he bit his lips and looked sheepish.

"Sorry, am I being too casual?"

Jongin immediately shook his head, a smile blooming on his reddening face.

"No, no. I was a bit taken aback. But like-... a good taken aback. It's fine. I'm doing great. And you?"

There it was. Finally. After months of sobbing and mopping, he somehow managed to get a casual discussion with his crush.

Taemin scrunched his nose a bit as he replied.

"I'm great too. It was becoming a bit weird to always be so formal with you when you come here so often. You feel like-... I don't know. More than a customer. Is that okay?"

More than a customer was totally okay. It was fantastic.

"You feel like more than a seller," Jongin admitted with a little smirk.

So. much. more. than a seller.

There was a look on Taemin's face that Jongin couldn't exactly decipher. It was probably best not to dwell on it too long, otherwise he would start to hope like a madman all over again.

"That's nice to know," Taemin said with a nod, before he straightened. "So, what will it be today?"

Jongin took a long inhale and tried to gather all the courage he could find within himself. Taemin's previous words had given him a newfound confidence that he maybe wouldn't be looked upon as a creep.

"Actually," he said, trying to not let his voice waver. "I-... hum... I have a present for you."

He raised his arm and put down the shopping bag on top of the counter. Taemin's mouth opened in shock as he looked clearly bewildered.

"A present?" he repeated.

"Yes. Take it as-... a gift for being such a good more-than-a-seller person...? I guess. I just-... It's for you."

He realized he should stop talking when the words started to become incoherent and he was scared he would end up gurgling in front of Taemin because that look of innocent curiosity and joy on his face was too pure for Jongin's heart.

Taemin drummed his fingers on the counter for a couple of seconds before he reached for the bag. He stopped himself as his hands closed on the handle.

"I really don't know how to act right now, please don't judge me. I can't believe you brought me something."

He fumbled over the bag and reached for the elegant, plain black box. His eyebrows furrowed a bit as a familiar scent was already invading his nostrils. His eyes widened a bit as they switched back to Jongin.

"You didn't-..."

Jongin gave him a mischievous smile as he nodded.

"Open it!"

He saw Taemin positively tremble from excitement as he unwrapped the black ribbon and tried to open the cardboard without breaking it. Finally, his eyes fell on the lovely black and red crate, with the unmistakable “Jardin du Luxembourg” label.

"You fucking did!" Taemin blurted out before he caught himself and almost violently put his hand on his mouth.

Jongin couldn't help the laugh that fell from his lips.

"Oh god, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to swear. Thank you. Thank you so much. I can't believe you-...," Taemin stammered, bowing repeatedly in front of him. "You did that."

There was a beast roaring with happiness in Jongin's belly at that moment. The look of pure happiness that graced Taemin's features was the best thing he ever saw.

"You're very welcome," Jongin laughed.

"I could hug you right now."

Although the idea was very appealing, -enough to make Jongin's heart stop functioning for almost a whole minute- it was probably better not to let themselves get too carried away. Jongin wasn't sure he could survive a casual, thankful hug from Taemin.

"I'm really glad it makes you so happy."

Taemin sighed, hugging his little tea box against his heart with a large smile.

"It does. Oh my. I can't wait to go home and drink this again. Thank you so much."

His eyes went to the box again, seeing it sealed by a sticker, and he looked back at Jongin.

"Were you able to taste it? I could open it and put some in a bag. We could share. You really should taste it."

Jongin smiled fondly at that.

"I asked my friend to send me two boxes actually. One for you, and one for me. I tasted it already and you were absolutely right. I loved it a lot."

"Oh, great. Thank you, again."

A red tint sprawled on Taemin's cheekbones and he looked a bit awkward.

"I feel so shy now, I don't know what to say," he said, scratching his forehead.

Before Jongin could find something intelligent to answer, he heard the door open behind him and Taemin quickly hid his tea box and shopping bag behind the counter before he greeted the new customers politely.

It was very satisfying to Jongin to see that Taemin's smile wasn't as large as it had been when he greeted him. That was a petty, idiotic thing to notice, but still.

"I think I'll go now," Jongin said with a side glance at the two girls behind him that were whispering to themselves as they looked over the shelves of tea boxes, discussing their preferences.

He had come only to gave Taemin his gift, and he didn't want to make it too weird now. Even if he was a bit bitter that his visit had been so short.

"Oh, okay," Taemin said with a nod; and his voice sounded sad.

"Have a nice day," Jongin murmured.

Taemin gave him a beaming smile.

"You too. Have a good week. Drink a lot of tea. And thank you."

Jongin rubbed his nose and turned away, going for the door when his seller stopped him.

"Ah, Mister..."

It suddenly occurred to Jongin that Taemin didn't know his name. After all those months of talking, he never actually introduced himself. He had learned Taemin's name at some point, and never realized that it wasn't reciprocal. That left him feeling uneasy. He looked back at Taemin with a stunned frown.

"We'll receive new teas next week. Some seasonal flavored blends. Please come again soon."

The two girls were next to the counter by now, waiting to order, and Jongin couldn't blurt out his name so randomly.

"I'll come back next week then, definitely."

Taemin's eyes were sparkling at him for a moment, before he faced his next customers.

Jongin went away and let out a long, troubled sigh. He was used to stay longer for his weekly dose of Taemin, and he wasn't sure if he had felt the need to get out because of the two women coming in, or because the sudden casualty of their exchange had made it a bit awkward between the two of them. He was already impatient to be next week.

As he made his way to the subway station nearby, he tried to calm himself down by relishing in the memory of Taemin's honesty and cuteness as he had discovered his gift. Another very precious memory Jongin was about to store in the safety of his mind.

It took him a bit more than five minutes to make it to the subway platform, and as the train was arriving, Jongin frowned. He could see himself in the train's window in front of him, and he suddenly turned on his heels, taking long, quick steps back to the street. His heart was beating a little bit too fast but he couldn't stop himself as he was going straight back to the tea shop. His mind was yelling at him that he was being stupid, but Jongin didn't want to listen.

He opened the door and was relieved to find Taemin alone again. The seller looked at him with surprise.

"My name's Jongin."

There was a silence and Jongin could feel shame trying to swallow him up. His palm was sweaty on the door handle and he was starting to curse at himself for blurting this out.

Taemin tilted his head softly.

"I'm Taemin," he said.

He knew his name already, but the fact that his seller felt comfortable enough to share it, was turning his insides into pudding.

"I'll see you next week, Taemin," he stammered, heat reaching his neck, cheeks and ears.

"See you next week, Jongin."

Jongin slowly closed the door and went away to the subway all over again. As he sat on a free spot, he suddenly chuckled.

 

 

Strangely, Chanyeol hadn't showed that much enthusiasm when Jongin told him that Taemin had given him his name.

"But you already knew it," he had muttered, frowning, glaring at him from above his tteokbokki serving.

"Yes," Jongin insisted, folding his long legs underneath him on the couch, "but I just picked it up from their website. Now he actually told me, you know. That's different."

Chanyeol had a sigh and looked at him with tired eyes.

"So you're telling me that after, like, all those months of pining, you hadn't introduced yourself yet? You never told him you had seen his name while randomly scrolling their website or so?"

Jongin froze on his seat, all of a sudden feeling uncomfortable.

"Well," he whined. "No, I hadn't."

Chanyeol stared at him for a moment, before he nodded and continued eating his dinner in silence. The TV was still playing an action drama they had let as background noise.

Jongin nibbled on his lips, swallowing with some difficulty, and reported his attention to his bowl. His eyes kept going back to Chanyeol who was stubbornly watching the screen. That made him sigh. His roommate hadn't seemed in a particularly bad mood earlier that afternoon. And Chanyeol was very rarely quiet. His reaction to Jongin's achievement had seemed a bit out of character. He had thought his best friend would laugh and yell and pat him in the back and be proud of him. But no. Jongin was facing an awkward silence.

"What's on your mind?" Jongin quietly asked, his chopsticks playing with his tteoks. "Did I say something wrong?"

Chanyeol glanced at him and shook his head.

"No, you didn't. I'm fine."

The silence came back and Jongin still felt like an idiot, so he nudged his roommate's knee. Chanyeol gave out an exaggerated sigh and looked at him with a pout.

"It's just-... listen... I don't wanna be mean, okay? I didn't realize it was still like that between you and him."

"What do you mean?" Jongin asked, his eyebrows rising. "How did you think it was?"

"I thought you were a bit more... I don't know... flirting? Or giving up? But actually doing something. I just see you getting so overwhelmed with him and it's-... It's sad, really. Why don't you try something? Why don't you ask him out on a date or so?"

Jongin gritted his teeth, his hands coming into fists.

"Because he's a _guy_ ," he muttered. "And it's not that simple."

"I know. I know, okay. But I'm sorry to tell you that if you never try anything, you might just end up alone," Chanyeol grunted, before he saw the pain on Jongin's face. "I'm sorry. I don't wanna hurt you. But like... really, Jongin... You're not 15 anymore. You've been head over heels with him for the past half of the year and you just now finally told him your name despite seeing him all the damn time. Maybe it would be good to take more steps forward and try your luck, or just let go of him and spare your heart. What I'm saying-... the more you wait now, the harder it will be if he ends up being straight. So you should make a choice."

Jongin looked like he just hit a wall full force and Chanyeol had the decency to show some sympathy.

"I'm sorry to be harsh. But you know I'm right. I don't want you hoping for another six months and ending up getting your heart completely broken because one day, either you want it or not, the truth's gonna be out. Or, and I don't know if it's better or worse, I'll have you in five years still crushing on him and unable to move on."

Jongin put his bowl on the table in front of the couch, having lost all his appetite.

He understood why Chanyeol was being so honest with him, he knew his best friend was trying to take care of him in his awkward way and ultimately, he knew he was right. Still it wasn't anything nice to hear.

Sometimes it was easier to hide behind the fact that being gay in their country was horrible and too difficult, than admit that on top of that, he was simply lacking too much social skills and he found himself too boring to ever get someone interested in dating him.

Chanyeol put his bowl aside too and came closer, his two hands coming to cup Jongin's face.

"Was I too crude?"

"Yes," Jongin whispered with a pout.

Chanyeol pushed his hands on his best friend's face, intensifying his pout and playing with his cheeks.

"I'm sorry."

Jongin sighed, his eyes falling on his lap, not even caring about Chanyeol pinching his cheekbones.

"I don't wanna end up alone," Jongin whined. "I want a boyfriend and I want to cuddle a lot and I want to be kissed."

"I'm sure that Taemin would kiss you real nice if you give the damn boy a chance."

"I'm scared," Jongin admitted in a low voice.

Chanyeol finally let go of his face to rub at his arms, trying to comfort him as best as he could.

"I know. But for all we know, he could be gay too. He really could."

"It's not-...," Jongin started, closing his eyes with shame. "It's not even like that. I think I'm even more scared of him not being straight but still not having any interest in me because, well... I'm boring. That'd hurt more."

Chanyeol let go of him and turned back to face the screen, hitting him lightly on his shoulder.

"Enough. I'm not talking to you when you're being stupid."

"I'm serious," Jongin exclaimed, clearly hurt.

"You're the least boring on this planet, Kim Jongin. Sometimes you may be annoying and sometimes you cannot make proper sentences because your brain is all mushy but guess what, everyone's brain is mushy on some days and you have so much to talk about all the time and you're so smart and you know so many stuff about so many things. You're also funny and so unbearably adorable. For fuck's sake don't make me go emotional on you right now because I'm too tired for your stupid ass talks. Like for real, you being boring is the most idiotic thing I ever heard in my life and do I have to remind you that I listen to Byun Baekhyun talking to me all day long in uni?! His mouth is so full of shit I think he eats ass every morning."

Chanyeol was looking at him with an angered frown, as if he was personally offended by Jongin calling himself boring. And Jongin couldn't help the tiny smile on the corner of his lips, because that was his very best friend in this world.

"I swear to all that is holy, if that tea addict is not straight and just decides to not date you, I'm gonna go myself to tell him how exactly stupid he is, because no one in their right mind would say no to you. Like, man. Really. For real. How much of a crazy person could one be to get to know you and say no. I can't believe you're making me say that. Fuck you, Kim Jongin."

Chanyeol crossed his arms over his chest and went back to glare furiously at the screen. Jongin sat back against the sofa, taking back his bowl still full of tteokbokki.

"Thanks, Channie."

Chanyeol muttered something along the lines of “You're welcome” and the discussion was closed.

Jongin was lost in his thoughts, his hand putting food in his mouth almost mechanically. He wasn't paying the slightest attention to the television and didn't even react when Chanyeol laughed extra loudly after some funny joke.

He was busy imagining all different cases of scenarios of himself asking Taemin out. He dreamed about what it would be like to actually go on a date with him, but he couldn't make himself believe that he had any chance in being that lucky. He thought about Taemin rejecting him violently or being disgusted with him, and despite the hurt he felt at the mere speculation of it, a very tiny voice in his head kept saying that his seller was always so nice, and charming, and soft... maybe he wouldn't be that mean. He couldn't picture Taemin being truly mean. But even if it went in the best possible way, even if Taemin rejected him gently and with care, Jongin knew he wouldn't be able to go back there because he would be too mortified, ashamed and hurt. So asking Taemin out resulted, in Jongin's mind, in a 95% chance of never seeing him again. That wasn't exactly appealing. Even if Chanyeol was right and the current situation was going nowhere and Jongin was getting too attached, it still felt safer and better for now.

As a dark cloud of brooding was slowly but surely forming above Jongin's head, his phone suddenly biped with a notification. Chanyeol jumped at it, but quickly put his focus back on the TV. It biped once, and twice more.

Chanyeol sighed and nudged Jongin's knee.

"Put your phone on mute please, it's annoying," he groaned.

Jongin came back from the maze of his thoughts, murmuring some apologies as he grabbed his phone to see texts notification from Kyungsoo.

“ **Jongin! You there?** ”

Then there was a curious sticker of some bunny dancing. Kyungsoo didn't put stickers in their conversation that often and it got Jongin awfully curious.

“ **I got some exciting news!** ”

Jongin's eyebrows rose up, all of his sad thoughts about Taemin forgotten for a while.

“ **I'm here. What's up?** ” he typed.

He waited, checking some other application on his phone as Kyungsoo was answering him. When he got a new message, his phone buzzed again and Chanyeol grouched. Jongin laughed, patting his back with an apology as he finally switched his device to mute.

“ **Do you have any plans in July? More exactly, from 5th to 7th!** ”

Jongin fidgeted on his seat. He was getting nervous. He could only think of a very few reasons why Kyungsoo would ask him something like that. But July was next month. The 5th was only in a couple of weeks so for Kyungsoo to suddenly fly to Korea and for them to meet was very unlikely. Unless he won the lottery and got enough money for a last minute ticket.

“ **I don't... Why?** ” Jongin wrote, sticking his tongue out as he sent a sticker of a nervous weird little dog.

“ **Can I come see you?** ”

Jongin almost dropped his phone on the ground as he excitedly wiggled on his seat.

“ **ARE YOU SERIOUS?** ”

Chanyeol almost jump out of his skin with fright when Jongin blurted some exclamation of joy.

"What the heck?!"

Jongin turned to him with a brilliant smile.

"Kyungsoo might be coming to Korea very soon!"

"Holy shit, you almost caused me a heart attack."

"Sorry," he chirped.

But he didn't sound sorry in the least.

Jongin got up and almost ran to his room to stop annoying his beloved roommate. He fell on his bed and opened his conversation with Kyungsoo again. There was another happy sticker coming from his friend. So many stickers coming from him in one night, this was barely believable.

“ **I'm sorry it's last minute! I actually knew about coming to Korea for a couple of months already, but I wasn't sure I was going to come to Seoul, so I didn't want to get your hopes high... My aunt is getting married so we're all going near Busan and it was supposed to be just that. But we're staying for a little while so I managed to convince my mother to let me come see you while I'm at it. She was really reluctant because it's supposed to be family time. But yeah... I persuaded her. You in?** ”

Jongin slapped his legs on his bed like a child.

“ **Of course I'm in! That's so cool. I can't wait already.** ”

They send each other a few more idiotic stickers before Kyungsoo went back to the subject.

“ **I have a favor to ask though...** ”

“ **Shoot.** ”

“ **I can't afford to pay for an hotel on top of the trips so... would it be okay to crash at your place?** ”

Jongin snorted, rolling his eyes.

“ **Of course it's okay.** ”

They had met only once before, when Kyungsoo's family had made the trip from France because it was his grandmother's 80th birthday. They had met at a café back then, both being awkward and anxious at the idea of seeing each ohter for the very first time.

That fear was no longer there.

“ **Can you please ask Chanyeol before telling me it's okay? I don't want to have to cancel tickets.** ”

Jongin closed his eyes and laughed. He got up from the bed, opened his door and yelled at his roommate.

"Channie, Kyungsoo's definitely coming in for few days in July. Is that okay?"

"Sure, no problem."

Jongin still made his way to the living room and looked over the couch.

"He'll be sleeping in there and all. Around the 5th."

"Well then, I won't even be around that much. So, still no problem."

"Thanks! You're awesome."

Jongin gave him a beaming grin and hopped back to his room.

"Don't forget how awesome I am on the 27th November," came the loud reply.

Jongin snorted, and immediately texted Kyungsoo back, assuring him that Chanyeol agreed to welcome him, and then asking for details about his arrival.

.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello dears,
> 
> here is your weekly dose of Taekai to stay strong until the week-end. I hoped you liked it (*´･Д･) Please remember that I love to read all your sweet comments. They are my way of holding up to terrible days. (because i'm an anxious mess who's always 300% scared of disapppointing people)  
> Also, brace yourself. Kyungsoo's coming in next chapter and we're gonna get serious! (๑و•̀ω•́)و ♥  
> I wish you all a very good week, good luck with everything you have to do and hopefully, see you next wednesday!
> 
> P.S. : Today's tea is "Jardin du Luxembourg" from the french brand Dammann Frères. Can you tell from the way I described it that it is my absolute favorite tea in the whole universe? Because it is. It's also the most expensive tea I ever saw but meh, it's worth it. ♥♥


	4. Nectar Enchanté

.

Kyungsoo had planned to arrive in the evening of the 4th of July. Apparently, his mother hadn't been that pleased, as he was supposed to see Jongin from the 5th to the 7th, but because the prices had been a lot cheaper on the 4th, she had to let it go.

Jongin had spent almost a week preparing, yelling at Chanyeol to tidy up after himself, and cleaning the place from floor to ceiling so it would be nice enough for Kyungsoo's arrival. If Chanyeol had found it funny at first, and cute after two days, it was becoming to be really annoying after five days of that masquerade.

"Oh my god, Jongin, we're not welcoming a damn king. I'm sure your friend can survive in there if the floor isn't spotless under the damn couch."

Jongin had apologized and pouted a lot, and because Chanyeol was weak to his best friend's sulky face, he had ended up cleaning the bathtub and the toilets.

But on the eve of Kyungsoo's arrival, Jongin had been all shaky again, complaining that the sheets he was supposed to give to his friend weren't clean enough and smelled funny despite having been washed the day before. That's when Chanyeol had truly given up.

"Okay, what's the matter with you?"

His eyes were fixed on Jongin's fidgeting figure and his best friend scrunched his nose.

"There's nothing with me. It's the bedsheets. They really smell dirty."

Chanyeol squinted at him, taking the sheets from his arms and taking a long inhale in them.

"They smell like fresh lavender because we have a fresh lavender laundry."

Before Jongin could argue back, Chanyeol put the bedsheets back in his hands and crossed his arms.

"So now that we cleared the fact that those smell clean, what's the matter with you?"

Jongin blinked a few times before his eyes lowered to his feet.

"I'm okay."

"So what's the matter with Kyungsoo? Please don't tell me there's nothing wrong at all because you've been acting like clean-freak Minseok all week so just spill it out."

Jongin looked hesitant and soon started to nibble at his bottom lip.

"Well," he started in a breathless voice, as if he had just ran a marathon. "You know... It's just-... I'm a bit anxious."

"I would have never guessed," Chanyeol mocked in an ironic tone.

"I'm not used to this."

Chanyeol suddenly frowned, looking him up.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not used to having friends coming over. I'm not used to having friends, period. Do you remember being my only friend? Last time a friend came to sleep at my place, it was you before we moved in together. And it was like... you, you know. Years ago. So I'm just... nervous because I don't know what to expect and I'm a weirdo and I'm scared of making him uncomfortable because all of this was a brilliant idea before I remembered we only saw each other once and I have as good social skills as a bear. And bears are solitary animals, okay. They live alone for most of their lives, unless they need to reproduce. I won't even reproduce because I'm gay so I was supposed to be a gay bear all alone forever but suddenly I got this-... this penguin friend, and penguins are very socials and they live in colonies-..."

He suddenly stopped his rambling when he felt Chanyeol take the bedsheets out of his arms to put them on the couch, before he laid his large hands on Jongin's shoulders.

"Jongin, breathe," he simply said with that calming voice he used to help Jongin relax.

His best friend had that lost and worried expression on his face that Chanyeol knew too well. Jongin wasn't usually babbling that much. He was a quiet person. To have him chattering without stopping was making Chanyeol dizzy.

"I'm sorry," Jongin breathed out pitifully.

"Don't be. You know I'm never really upset with ya'. I just need to grumble often."

Jongin nodded, but it wasn't really convincing, as he was still deeply frowning with anxiety.

"I'm the one who's sorry because I didn't realize how you could feel," Chanyeol continued. "Do you want me to stay with you when Kyungsoo comes? Would it be easier?"

"No, it's okay," Jongin winced. "Please don't cancel your romantic week-end for my pathetic ass."

"Your ass is not pathetic," Chanyeol immediately countered. "Even literally."

That took a snort out of Jongin.

"About Kyungsoo, it's gonna be okay. And you know that. You're always rambling about how easy and comfortable it is to talk to him, to the point I'm jealous of him sometimes so, it's gonna be okay. I'll always be one phone call away if needed."

"Thanks," Jongin sighed.

"I know it's difficult for you, but Jongin, you need to try to communicate when you're not feeling okay. Like, just talk to me. Really. Instead of working yourself up for days and forcing me into bitching at you."

Jongin mumbled a non-committed "I'll try" and Chanyeol patted his head before going back to sit on the couch, his computer on his legs.

"For real, you were so on edge all week I was starting to think you actually had a crush on Kyungsoo or something."

Jongin froze, eyes widening as he looked at Chanyeol as if an antenna just sprouted out of his skull.

"What the hell! I'm not developing crushes on every single guy around, now," he complained, starting to fold back the bedsheets correctly. "I'm all about Taemin. There's only Taemin in my heart. Don't be an idiot. A crush on Kyungsoo. That'd be weird."

Chanyeol stayed silent and motionless as he hid behind his computer screen but his eyes kept following his friend. Jongin was going back and forth in the living room all over again, whining about being devoted to his tea shop seller and not being fickle. He was muttering about bears again and wolves and penguins, and Chanyeol couldn't help but quietly laugh at his antics.

 

 

As soon as Kyungsoo set foot in their apartment, it didn't matter anymore to Jongin, how inexperienced with friends he was. He had gone to pick him up at the trains station, and really, it had been only joy and excitement of seeing each other again. They had giggled, talked over each other a few times because there were so many things to say, and then stayed in a comfortable silence as Kyungsoo was taking in the sight of everything and everyone around. Even as they settled down in Jongin's living room, he felt calm. Chanyeol was supposed to leave only on the next day, so he could still meet Kyungsoo and they had a lovely dinner, all three of them, chatting the night away.

Jongin had taken two days off to enjoy his friend's company and they found themselves at three o'clock in the morning, still talking on the couch, eating fried fishes. It was so much easier to communicate face to face, as they could finally talk freely in Korean, instead of using a mix of three languages.

Even when the discussion died down, even when Chanyeol left on the next day, even when they went out to visit some nice places in Seoul, or stayed inside to relax, Jongin didn't feel any anxiety again. As they were sipping on two very nice cups of French tea Kyungsoo had brought him, Jongin realized that it all felt natural. It was Kyungsoo, and he always felt calm around him. It was the person who got his back and understood him even when a dozen of countries were separating them. There was no need to be nervous around Kyungsoo. His friend always spoke his mind, and that greatly helped. Jongin didn't have to overthink everything and question every single one of his decisions, because he simply knew that Kyungsoo would tell him if something was wrong. And he was never mean while doing so. This was something Jongin really admired, as he struggled so hard to express himself when he was feeling unwell.

"So," Kyungsoo said, sitting on the chair in the small kitchen.

"Mhm?"

Jongin was cleaning the dishes and didn't turn completely to him.

"Can we go to your tea shop today?"

Jongin straightened up, looking at him with surprise.

"Uh? Yeah, sure..."

Kyungsoo had a small smile playing on his lips.

"I'd like to get more of one of the tea you sent me, and maybe discover something new. Also, I'm just really curious about your famous crush. Is that okay?"

Jongin rubbed his hand on his neck, and nodded. He had blabbered so much about Taemin to his friend that he couldn't exactly blame him. Chanyeol had been curious too. And he was pretty sure Kyungsoo wouldn't do anything embarrassing because he was a decent human being.

"It's okay," Jongin answered. "But I don't know if Taemin will be there today..."

Kyungsoo's eyebrows rose on his forehead, but he shrugged.

"Oh, well... I'll cross my fingers then. Even if he's not, I'd still like to buy tea, so we won't go for nothing."

They stopped by a few other shops on their way to Taemin's tea shop. Kyungsoo saw a supposedly French bakery and had been too tempted to take a peek, so they came in. It turned out that they made some mistakes in their French texts all over the walls, and their croissants were awfully expensive.

But whatever they did, wherever they ended up, Kyungsoo always had that gentle look of interest on his face. Like just being out there in the streets with Jongin was enough to content him.

"It's here," Jongin whispered as they slowly made their way to his very dear tea shop.

He opened the door for his friend and Kyungsoo entered, immediately taking a long inhale of the delicious scent floating around.

"Wow," he murmured.

Kyungsoo's eyes fell on the seller behind the counter, who greeted them with a cheerful voice. Taemin looked a bit surprised when he noticed Jongin, standing behind that new customer. It was the first time he ever came with someone else and Taemin couldn't help but wonder who that person was. He was quite small compared to Jongin and was looking everywhere with a blank face.

Kyungsoo went away to look at all the cups and teapots and accessories they showed off on their shelves and Jongin was quick to follow, standing close to him. So close that it made Taemin wince.

There was a heavy rock in his stomach that took a pout out of him. Jongin was the highlight of his weeks. Jongin was his own personal sunshine. Jongin didn't even came on his usual days that week, and suddenly appeared with an unknown boy, barely waving Taemin, and not even paying attention to him. And it was bothering Taemin. A lot. It made him nervous. Jongin didn't even asked him how he was. He didn't came by the counter. He just stayed glued to that tiny friend of his.

" _That's him?_ " Kyungsoo whispered in French, stealing a side glance at Jongin who was fidgeting by his side.

Jongin only nodded. Somehow, coming here with Kyungsoo made him shaky. It was different. As if he was waiting for his friend's judgment. The whole tea shop seemed smaller than usual, Taemin looked even more dashing than any other day, everything was overwhelming and he wasn't sure how to act with Kyungsoo in the equation.

Jongin was still so very glad that Kyungsoo was discreet enough to speak in the lowest voice possible, in another language. So much consideration.

" _He's cute_ ," Kyungsoo murmured with a gentle smile.

Jongin let out a long breathe he hadn't realized he had been holding, and laughed as quietly as possible.

" _You say cute, I call him the purest and most magnificent being that ever graced the earth._ "

Kyungsoo chortled, shaking his head at his friend.

" _You learned such fancy French words only to describe him to me?_ "

" _Maybe, yes. I can describe him as the most perfect man in the world in four different languages_."

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes at him, but he was still smiling fondly at Jongin.

" _Okay Romeo, let's go ask the love of your life for my tea, please._ "

Jongin scrunched his nose with a giddy smile and turned away to approach the subject of his very tender affection.

He frowned a bit when he saw Taemin standing very still behind the counter, his eyes turned to the cash register but seemingly unfocused.

"Hi Taemin," he greeted, tilting his head.

The seller blinked a few times and straightened up, a blush creeping on his cheeks as he nodded mechanically to him.

"Hello," he answered.

Jongin pouted as his formal tone.

"Are you okay?"

Taemin put one fisted hand in front of his mouth and coughed lightly to give himself some confidence.

"Sorry," he tried again with a shaky smile. "I was dozing off. Hum... what can I help you with today?"

Taemin could feel Jongin's friend's eyes watching him with such intensity that it wasn't helping the jittery state he was in. But Jongin smiled at him, and everything else was forgotten for a second.

"That's Kyungsoo," Jongin introduced, pointing to his friend. "He's my dear friend from France, the one I bought tea for, you know? He wanted to buy some more."

Taemin's mouth opened in a circle as he finally tore his eyes away from Jongin.

"I really liked the tea you told him to buy for me," Kyungsoo said as a greeting. "Thank you a lot."

He bowed to Taemin slightly and the seller stood awkwardly for a second. It took him a minute to digest the fact that Jongin's French friend looked, in fact, Korean, but then he bowed even deeper than Kyungsoo.

"You're very welcome. That's my job after all. Thank you for the tea you two offered me."

Kyungsoo assured it wasn't a problem at all, and finally made his order. Jongin looked at the both of them chatting, he looked at Taemin giving some advices to Kyungsoo, he looked as his precious seller was making the bags, ever so professionally, and he kept asking himself why he seemed so shaky.

Taemin was avoiding his eyes and Jongin didn't miss the redness on the top of his ears. He wondered what made him so edgy. Maybe Taemin was embarrassed to have been caught getting lost in thoughts during work. But then Kyungsoo paid, and Jongin said he would come back next week as he extended his hand to get the shopping bag standing on the counter, and it happened.

Taemin took a sharp inhale and bowed again.

" _Thank you. Have a nice day,_ " he said.

Jongin froze on his spot. His fingers hadn't quite reached the handle of the bag. He heard Kyungsoo's little exclamation of surprise. And then there was silence. All colors drained from Jongin's face as his eyes widened.

It had been Taemin's voice. Speaking a few words of French. Enough for Jongin's heart to stop.

Taemin wasn't supposed to speak French. Taemin had never mentioned speaking French. Jongin had no idea Taemin even knew one single word of French. Jongin could have thought that maybe, he only knew those very few words. Maybe he only learned them for international customers. But Taemin's trembling and nervous posture made it impossible for Jongin to hope that maybe, just maybe, his seller hadn't understood the damn love confession he had made when he first entered the shop.

Taemin opened his mouth again, but before he could say anything else, Jongin jolted out of his traumatic state, grabbed the shopping bag, Kyungsoo's wrist, and stormed off.

His heart was hammering against his ribcage as if trying to break free and he was almost running in his will to get as far away as possible. After a moment, Kyungsoo tucked at his sleeve and forced him to stop. They were a few blocks away from the disaster already.

"Jongin?"

He didn't answer. One hand coming on his eyes in a poor attempt to hide his distress. Kyungsoo rubbed his back gently.

"Let's go home," Kyungsoo simply said as he pushed him towards the nearest subway station.

 

The journey back to Jongin and Chanyeol's apartment had been deadly silent. Jongin kept looking at his feet with that mortified expression that broke Kyungsoo's heart, but he decided to let him have some peace and not bother him for now. Not in the subway. Not surrounded by strangers in a place Jongin didn't feel comfortable in.

When they got back home, Jongin took off his shoes and fell face first on the sofa, limp. Kyungsoo sighed and went to the kitchen. Jongin absentmindedly heard him shuffle around, he heard the kettle go on, then more rumbling. Kyungsoo came back to the living room to see his friend's beloved poodle curled up next to his owner's face, sniffing his hair and trying to get his attention for some petting. Kyungsoo sat next to them, and put two hot cups of tea on the table.

"I made your green tea with yellow fruits and vanilla. Please sit up, drink and look at me."

Jongin grunted but stayed still. Kyungsoo tapped on his head, and waited. It took Jongin a couple more minutes before he let out a long sigh as he moved to sit. He took one mug into his hands, letting the warmth heat up his palms and ease his heart just a little bit as Monggu came to sit on his lap.

He still couldn't look at Kyungsoo.

"It's really not as bad as you seem to think," Kyungsoo said.

Jongin flinched, and turned to him.

"I'm sorry? It's a damn catastrophe."

Kyungsoo bit his lips, but shook his head.

"I don't think so."

"I accidentally confessed having the biggest crush ever on him in a language he clearly understood. Please tell me how this isn't a disaster to you."

"Well, I won't deny that he seemed to understand French more than what he was able to say. But you still used some fancy words..."

Jongin snorted and hid behind his mug.

"You called him the love of my life and I didn't deny. I think those are pretty simple words to get if you can say “have a nice day” in French."

"I'm sorry about that," Kyungsoo murmured, with a pained face.

Jongin glanced at him. He wanted to say something to take that guilty expression off from his face, but his heart was too heavy right now to comfort anyone else. Instead he let one of his hand fall on his dog, his fingers stroking its fluffy fur.

"Still...," Kyungsoo continued, "I thought his reaction was actually quite encouraging."

Jongin's eyebrows furrowed and his bottom lip moved forward in an hopeful pout.

"How so?" he asked quietly.

Taemin had looked nervous. Even uncomfortable. Jongin didn't see anything to be optimistic about in the way Taemin hadn't been able to look at him. He must have embarrassed him so much. Taemin must be so annoyed and disgusted with him by now.

"I think if he had been offended, he would have made it clear, maybe scowl at you. Or maybe he wouldn't even have spoken French at all, so you wouldn't know he understood. And then, avoid you or put more distance between the two of you. Instead he was blushing the whole time. And when he spoke French, it was actually to be nice and say thanks. It's like-... I don't know, there are many possibilities, but none of them seem actually bad to me. Maybe he wasn't sure that he understood everything and wanted to see your reaction. Maybe he was too shy with me around. Maybe I don't get it because it's some purely Korean-culture thing, but from my perspective, he seemed bashful... but on cloud nine. Even before, when we entered, he looked at you as if you were the damn sun. I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out that he has a crush on you too."

Jongin curled up on himself, and hid his face against the dog still wiggling on his thighs. Kyungsoo was making a lot of sense. It sounded so right and likely. But the shame and anxiety that were clawing at his heart wouldn't let go and he sighed.

"I don't know," he admitted in a tired voice.

He didn't want to think about it right now. He didn't want to let his mind wander for hours again, because he was exhausted of overthinking things.

"You don't have to take any decision right now," Kyungsoo simply answered. "I wanted to stop you from thinking you ruined everything because I honestly don't think you did anything like that. What can we do to help you relax for now?"

Jongin turned his head, his cheek resting on the warm, fluffy back of his poodle, and he looked at Kyungsoo. For a moment, he only looked at him in silence, as if it was the first time he really saw him.

"I don't know what I did to deserve a friend like you," he murmured.

Kyungsoo smiled at him; his squishy, adorable smile that made Jongin smile weakly in return.

"Being yourself. That's what you did. You're a truly good person, Kim Jongin."

Jongin avoided his stare and got his tea cup, taking a sip to calm down. There was something soothing about Kyungsoo. He was like a cup of warm tea, really.

"I don't feel like going out again," Kyungsoo declared. "What do you think about showing me Jurassic World like you promised you'd do but didn't, yet ?"

Jongin grinned and nodded.

"Sure."

He brought some snacks from the kitchen, and they sprawled over the couch for a movies marathon in the middle of the afternoon. Watching movies with Kyungsoo included far less stupid comments than watching a movie with Chanyeol. Kyungsoo was totally focused on what was happening on the screen, didn't yell after the characters, but snorted and laughed once in a while. And he made a complete commentary on what he thought about said movie at the end of it.

They went out again in the evening to give Monggu a little walk, and eventually brought some take-away food back home. Kyungsoo was supposed to go back to his family in Busan on the next day, so they enjoyed their very last night fully, talking until morning.

They promised each other to try to meet soon again, even if none of them could tell when it would be.

 

Taemin had waited. He had waited all afternoon for Jongin to suddenly come back to the store and say something. Anything, really. But he didn't. As Taemin was forced to close the little tea shop, his heart had felt so incredibly heavy. There hadn't been many customers on that day, giving him far too much time to mop on his counter, think back on how badly he had handled the situation and what he could have done instead.

Taemin had waited all week for Jongin to come back, as he had promised. But he didn't. With each passing day, Taemin couldn't help the painful disappointment and slight distress that swallowed him up as he left at the end of his shifts.

It grew worse, and worse. The crazy hope he got every time someone entered the shop and made the little bell ring continued to get crushed into frustration, because it wasn't Jongin. It never was Jongin. It hadn't been two weeks yet, and sometimes, his most favorite customer hadn't come in for more than that, because he was busy. But he had promised, and yet he wasn't there, and Taemin cursed himself.

The thought that he might never see him again was leaving him in such anguish that he was trying his hardest every morning to push it away and let himself hope.

Taemin had hoped for months that Jongin would make any kind of concrete gesture towards him. Anything, for Taemin to jump on. Anything letting him dream that maybe, Jongin wasn't straight. Maybe Jongin found him pretty enough. Maybe Jongin was interested. There had been hints, so many of them actually. Very, very soft, longing looks and blush on his cheeks and sweet comments. But nothing consistent enough for Taemin to convince himself he wasn't imagining them.

Until last time.

Until Jongin was whispering into his shop that he found Taemin perfect. And for a moment, Taemin had thought he was dreaming because this couldn't possibly be happening. He wasn't even sure he had correctly understood. The two friends had been so quiet, speaking a little too fast for Taemin to get everything with his poor French skills.

"Are you okay?"

Taemin gave his colleague a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Yes, I'm fine," he answered.

Saerom pouted at him and rubbed her hand on his arm.

"You seem so sad lately. You're always staring at the door with blurry eyes..."

"Sorry."

"You don't have to apologize. Just tell me if I can help, okay?"

Taemin relaxed a bit, and nodded. He went past her, going down the stairs to the back rooms. He went to his cloakroom, putting his uniform away and changing back into his casual clothes. As he closed his locker, he frowned, and quickly got back to Saerom.

"Hey... did you-... did you get a male customer lately?"

Her colleague pinched her lips, pleating her eyes at him.

"You'll have to be a bit more specific, Taeminnie."

He let out a nervous laugh, scratching his forehead.

"Yeah hum... He's-... tall," he said, putting one of his hand a bit higher than his own head to show up approximately Jongin's height. "And he's-... handsome. Like, really. Caramel skin. Sleepy, beautiful, deep eyes with long eyelashes. And pouty mouth."

He was blushing by the end of his little speech and Saerom was looking at him with a smug grin.

"Uh-hu. Are we talking about _Boyfriend_?"

Saerom was really more than a colleague. She was a friend. They had worked together for five years already and even often went out together. At some point, she had figured out about Taemin's sexuality.

A few months ago, Taemin had told her about that gorgeous customer who kept coming back to steal his breath away. She had been referring to him as his _boyfriend customer_ and sometimes asked for updates about their non-existent relationship.

Unlike Taemin's other friends, she actually understood how he couldn't blatantly ask Jongin out so easily. Because this was his workplace. And he didn't want to get into troubles if he ended up offending the man.

"Yes, we're talking about him," Taemin painfully admitted, his eyes falling on the ground. "He didn't came back and uh-... It was after I said something... so-... I'm scared I screwed up. I wanted to know if he maybe showed up when it wasn't me, you know."

The smile on Saerom's face faded away. Taemin's whole sorrowful and pathetic behavior was making sense now.

"I see," she whispered. "I don't think I saw him. I would have remembered someone like that, I suppose."

"Yeah," Taemin said with a bitter laugh. "It's difficult to forget him."

Saerom came closer and stroked his hair gently with a comforting smile.

"Maybe he got busy. Maybe he couldn't afford more tea for now," she tried to offer. "Anyway, I'll let you know if he comes by on my shift, okay? Don't get all gloomy, I'm sure you'll see him again."

Taemin didn't have the strength to argue more. He didn't want to explain everything that happened, and he didn't want to discuss all of that at work. He didn't want to admit that Jongin had already come a few times without buying anything so the problem surely wasn't a lack of money. He shrugged, thanked her for her kindness, got his things and wished her a good afternoon.

.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> So, did you like having Kyungsoo there? Did you expect something like this to happen? uhu. (￣ω￣)  
> I feel a bit bad for leaving you hanging like that... but stay on board one more week, Taemnini is about to sail!  
> You might have noticed I'm a huge fan of pining. I love those moments where they long for each other and go crazy with feelings, no knowing if it's mutual and dying slowly and hoping and wondering. ♥♥ Ilovetosuffer. Anyway, your devoted author will give you what you want now, don't worry. ʕ￫ᴥ￩ ʔ
> 
> You can leave me some comments / complaints / wishes down there to help me get on with my week. I wish you all the best until next wednesday.
> 
> Also, today's tea is Nectar Enchanté, from the organic french brand "Les Jardins de Gaïa". A wonderful brand, with very tasteful teas. This one is incredibly soft and sweet, a green tea with peach, apricots, mango & vanilla. It's super comforting when warm, but also super refreshing when cold, during the hottest days of summer. ♥ In this chapter, Kyungsoo makes it for Jongin when he's moping over Taemin, but it's also actually the tea Baekhyun offered to Jongin in the first chapter :)) and the one that Nini liked the most.
> 
> I also just want to say, it makes me super happy to read that YMCOT makes you want to try new teas. If you guys also have recommendations for me, shoot it!
> 
> bye-bye (*￣Ｏ￣)ノ


	5. Pomegranate

.

It had taken no less than six days for Jongin to tell Chanyeol what had happened in the tea shop, when Kyungsoo had been there. Six days of silent moping and pouting where Chanyeol was walking on eggshells, trying to get his best friend to talk slowly.

When Jongin had finally spilled it all, he was fidgeting on the sofa, playing with his fingers, thinking that Chanyeol would be exasperated with him somehow. But his friend only scooted closer and gave him an awkward hug because his limbs were too long and it looked more like he wanted Jongin to cuddle him than to comfort his best friend.

"The good thing about this," he said after a while,"is that you have nothing left to lose."

"What do you mean?" Jongin was bewildered by his nonchalance.

"You aren't planning on going back, I suppose? Like, ever."

Jongin pushed Chanyeol's head away, sulking.

"I can't. I feel so stupid."

"Well, then, if you think that you'll never see him again anyway, I'd say you should go ask him out."

Jongin turned to him, taken aback by his sudden comment.

"What the hell? Why would I do that?"

"If he says yes, you basically win at life. If he says no, well then, it won't change anything from your current situation, will it?"

Jongin had stayed silent after that, staring at his best friend for a while. He couldn't stop thinking about it for the next two days. He couldn't stop thinking about everything Kyungsoo also told him. And at some point, he decided they might as well be right. He was longing to see Taemin far too much and he had reached the point where he was feeling too upset to care. Even if Kyungsoo was wrong and Taemin rejected him, he thought that getting his heart completely broken would help him get some kind of closure, instead of letting it hang miserably in his ribcage, poor thing never stopping to hope like crazy.

It still took him a few more days to actually get down to business because the whole thing required a courage that he needed time to gather. He decided to go on a Wednesday because he knew Taemin worked during the afternoon and it was his own day off so after being rejected, he could just go home and cry all of his heart's content and he wouldn't have to go to work and deal with people. This was a very well thought out plan.

He even prepared his clothes accordingly. The weather was hot lately, and he was practically sure he would sweat from stress, so he absolutely had to go with a loose black tee-shirt, as he could not appear in front of Taemin with dark circles under his armpits, that would be the last straw of humiliation.

And so here he was, in his black tee-shirt, a few meters away from the tea shop, planted in the street like a damn tree, unable to move. Two high schoolers huffed as they got around him to continue on their merry way. But he didn't pay them any attention. His eyes were fixed on the tea shop's showcase ahead of him and he could feel his palms get moist. He kept telling himself he had to do this, that it couldn't go worse than it already was.

Jongin took a long inhale and rushed forward, almost tripping on his own foot, and pushed the door open. Then he froze.

"Welcome," came a cheerful voice.

It wasn't Taemin. It was a girl. Jongin stared at her with a bewildered expression. He saw the seller squint her eyes at him, before she bit her lips and stood very still.

"Um, hi...," Jongin finally muttered, closing the door behind him and going straight for the shelves of teapots on the right.

He wasn't even looking at them at all. He just stood there, eyes wide, his mind searching for what to do from now on because he didn't come to buy tea and he had prepared so hard and where was Taemin? He didn't think he could take it to go home now and come back another time.

Saerom tore her eyes away from the very nervous man who just entered, and discreetly took her phone out of her pocket, hoping he wouldn't turn around suddenly because she wasn't supposed to text at work and it would be quite disrespectful.

" **I think Boyfriend is here. Hurry up!** "

She kept glancing at the man, but he wasn't moving from the shelves and he didn't even look like he was checking anything. She finally saw him make a move towards her, but he quickly aborted the try and went back to stare at a white teapot. Then he made a move towards the exit, and went back to the shelf all the same.

" **Ohmy! Keep him there at all cost please pleaSE PLEASE!!!** "

Saerom smiled at the text she just received from Taemin and put her phone away.

"Sir, may I help you?"

She saw the customer almost jump out of his skin at her sudden question and he gave her a shaky smile.

"Ah. Hum-... well...," he stammered.

She looked patiently at him as he slowly made his way closer to the counter, chewing on his own lips.

"Actually I-.. hum... I have a question?"

As he stopped in front of her, she understood why Taemin was so smitten with him. The man was stunning.

"I'm here to help," she offered.

"Does-... Is-... Taemin still works here, right?"

Taemin had been there every single Wednesday afternoon since Jongin's very first visit and he just couldn't understand for the life of him why on earth he wasn't here that day. His brain was starting to think about all the worst case scenarios possible and he needed some reassurance that his adorable seller hadn't moved out of the country suddenly.

"Yes he is. He starts his shift soon, so he'll be there in a couple of minutes, actually," Saerom answered with a bright smile.

Jongin blinked a few times, and checked his watch. He surely came earlier than usual and his stupidity hit him hard.

"Oh. Oh... alright. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Jongin took a few steps back, standing there awkwardly, scratching his neck.

"Can I wait for him here?"

"Be my guest."

Jongin nodded and retreated back in front of the white tea pot he had been eyeing earlier. He let out a long sigh before he abruptly looked at Saerom again.

"I didn't mean to be rude. You look like a very nice seller. I'm just-... I have to talk to Taemin. About a tea. So... hum. Yeah."

She laughed lightly and shook her hand.

"No offense taken."

He thanked her and rubbed his hands together, looking around at the boxes he had seen thousand of times already. Each passing second felt like a whole minute of agony and he didn't know if he wanted Taemin to hurry up or never arrive.

The door opened and Jongin spun around, his eyes immediately getting caught by Taemin's bright smile aimed at his heart. At that moment, Jongin wondered how he could describe the feelings he had for this man, because he was one to believe you couldn't be in love with someone you barely knew. Yet here he was, feeling like he was floating on a pink little cloud very high in the sky.

It was the first time he saw Taemin in anything other than his working clothes and it was a whole new level of torments. Also his hair was freshly cut and styled backward and Jongin's knees went weak.

Taemin waved at his friend and colleague before approaching Jongin with a tentative smile.

"Hey...," he simply said.

"Hello," Jongin replied, and winced at his own awkwardness.

Taemin had a moment of doubts and questioning. He obviously didn't want to take Jongin out in the street to talk, but he also wasn't allowed to take him downstairs to the staff room. He was also supposed to take over his shift and he couldn't exactly ask Saerom to work extra time just so he could take Jongin in a secluded area to sort their lives out. They would have to talk as usual. With the damn counter between the two of them.

"I have to go change to replace my co-worker, but I really want to talk to you. Will you wait for me, please?"

Jongin didn't trust himself enough to speak for now, so he nodded. Taemin pleated his eyes at him as he slowly went backward to the counter.

"You promise you'll be here?" he insisted.

Jongin nodded again, a bit more eagerly, and Taemin smiled. He whispered something to his co-worker before quickly disappearing down the stairs.

Jongin did his best to not look at the seller still present because he was far too embarrassed. She excused herself at some point anyway, and went down a few seconds before Taemin appeared again. He was short of breath and sighed with relief as soon as he saw Jongin still standing in the exact same spot.

"So," he tried, forcing a smile on his lips.

Jongin fisted his hands and walked straight to him. His eyebrows furrowed in anxiety and he wasn't able to look Taemin in the eyes, so he focused his stare on his nose instead because Taemin's nose was very cute but less judging.

"Do you want to get out for a coffee with me sometime?" He said in one breath, his whole body tensed, before he added a weak : "… please."

At least he hadn't yelled or anything like that. His eyes darted higher and he saw Taemin looking at him in astonishment.

"I don't like coffee," Taemin quietly answered.

Jongin blinked. Out of all the possible outcomes, this was clearly not what he had imagined. But then the stupidity of the situation hit him as he pouted.

"Me neither, actually," he admitted.

Then Taemin let out a shaky and nervous little laugh that he quickly covered with one hand and Jongin wasn't sure how to react. This was getting completely out of hand.

"I'd love to get out for a tea with you, though... sometime. If you want," Taemin said, very softly.

Jongin's face brightened impossibly and his heart tried his best to waltz out of his chest and dive into the sun.

"Really?" he asked.

Taemin felt his cheeks redden just from that hopeful and delighted look Jongin was giving him.

"Yeah, really."

Jongin bit his lips to contain his wide smile. He scrunched his nose, and blinked a few times, and seemed to not be sure about what to do with himself.

"In a-... I mean, just to be sure... In a date-way, right? I was asking you out. On a date."

He knew it would destroy him if Taemin was saying yes only for him to find out later that the boy thought it was a friendly meet-up.

"Yes, please," Taemin laughed.

Jongin stood there, smiling like he was the happiest person on the planet, not knowing what to do or say next because his brain was struggling to get on with the fact that Taemin had say yes. Taemin hadn't rejected him. He wasn't about to go back home and cry on his bed. He actually got a date with Taemin.

"When could we do that?" Taemin insisted, with a giddy smile.

He had been waiting long enough and he needed some concrete plans. He wasn't about to let Jongin escape so easily.

"I-I don't know," Jongin stuttered. "I didn't think that far. I thought you would say no."

Taemin melted like snow on a sunny day. He moved behind the counter, going to the cash register and fumbled around for a few seconds. He found one of the store's card and wrote something on it before giving it to Jongin.

"That's my phone number. You can text me whenever you want. So we can decide about the details."

Jongin took the white little card and stared at the number in disbelief. Then he blinked and got his phone out of his pocket to save the precious information right away. He knew he would lose that card eventually, because he was a clumsy little person.

Then he straightened up again and here was Taemin, staring at him with dreamy eyes.

"I texted you...," Jongin muttered. "So you have my number too."

He knew it was safer, because he couldn't trust himself to be brave enough to message him first, later, and start a conversation. Taemin was about to answer, but stopped himself when he heard steps in the stairs. Saerom appeared, changed into her casual clothes, a sheepish smile on her face.

"Sorry to interrupt, I'll be going now, Taemin."

"See you tomorrow."

"Yep," she came closer to ruffle his hair. "Don't flirt all afternoon, there's some work that needs to be done."

Taemin muttered something about her needing to shut up and Saerom only laughed and went to the door. She stopped as she opened it and turned around.

"By the way, happy birthday Taeminnie!"

Jongin, who had turned around, his gaze following the seller as she disappeared outside with a cackle, swung back so fast to Taemin that he almost wrung his neck. Taemin winced, his eyes closed in unease.

"It's your-...," Jongin stupidly whispered.

"Yes," Taemin admitted in a sigh.

He looked at Jongin with a pout, his cheekbones still tinted pink with embarrassment.

"Happy birthday!"

He tried to sound joyful but his voice cracked up due to Taemin's intense cuteness in front of him.

Taemin let out a light laugh and thanked him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know, I have no gift or anything...," Jongin suddenly breathed out, blinking rapidly.

He saw Taemin roll his eyes at him before a smirk appeared at the corner of his lips.

"You couldn't have guessed. Besides, you came here and gave me exactly what I wished for the past few months."

Jongin's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but then it hit him and he bit his lips. Was Taemin referring to Jongin asking him out? Because Jongin hadn't done anything else since he came there. But it couldn't possibly be about this. That would imply Taemin having a crush on him for months. This couldn't be true. Surely it was something else. Jongin tried to tell his heart to calm down a bit but it wasn't very effective. It was far too difficult to breathe evenly when Taemin was looking at him with that teasing, smug look on his perfect face.

"A date with you," Taemin finally added when he realized the shock and turmoil wouldn't leave Jongin's face. "That's what I've been hoping you'd give me every time you came into the shop."

Jongin's eyes widened impossibly and he could feel the heat creeping up his neck, cheeks and forehead.

"Ah-... well... hum-...," he tried to articulate. And failed.

"I'm really looking forward to getting to know you," Taemin continued in a soft voice, as if he didn't realize each word he pronounced was making it harder for Jongin to stay sane.

"Me too," he managed to answer back.

They looked at each other and Jongin was starting to feel far too shy and awkward. He had no idea what he was supposed to do now because they already agreed on texting to decide the details of their date and he kept thinking he should let Taemin work. He also wasn't feeling confident enough to pursue a coherent conversation right in that moment and staying there just staring at Taemin, no matter how tempting, would be weird. He really wished he had Chanyeol's social skills. Chanyeol would know what to do.

"I hum-... I should go. Now. Let you work and-... all."

Taemin looked surprised. And a bit sulky.

"Already? Don't you want some tea? We received new blends, if you want."

Jongin smiled shakily and nodded. Tea would be a perfect excuse to stay, then. Of course it was. And he could look at Taemin a bit more.

"You do like tea, don't you?" Taemin hinted, his teasing smile back on his lips. "Don't make me believe you came here all the time just for my charming smile."

"I do like tea!" Jongin immediately defended himself, his lips forming an offended pout.

"Now I'll try not to get hurt by how fast you reacted to that."

Jongin scratched his forehead and decided to stop looking at the tantalizing little devil of a seller before he would do something stupid.

"Sometimes," he whispered, his gaze stubbornly locked on the tea container just above Taemin's head.

Taemin waited a few seconds, but when nothing more came, he frowned.

"Sometimes what?"

"Sometimes, I come just for your charming smile. On other days, it's a delightful bonus."

Taemin nibbled at his bottom lip, a pleased glint shining in his eyes. He had a little laugh of happiness and moved towards the wall behind him, taking one of the new teas they received the day before as to present it to his very favorite customer.

 

 

Taemin had been the first one to text. He actually sent a message to Jongin in the evening, after the tea shop's closing, asking if his afternoon went well. Then, they had started to talk lightly about their days and it was far easier for Jongin to make correct sentences and be at least a bit interesting when he could think about how to phrase his thoughts and he wasn't distracted by how plushy Taemin's lips always looked. That was, actually, until Taemin sent him a selfie.

When he had come home that night to find his roommate giggling on the sofa, texting like a crazy person, Chanyeol had been shocked. He had first presumed Jongin was chatting with Kyungsoo. Even if it was unusual for Jongin to be that excited over a chat conversation, it wasn't worrisome so far. That was until Chanyeol almost broke the Iron Man bowl as he was cooking, when Jongin whined very loudly in the living room. Chanyeol barged in, thinking his life was on the line, but his best friend was sprawled over the couch, a pillow pressed to his face, his feet hitting the armchair.

"What the heck?!"

"He sent me another selfie," Jongin cried out from under the pillow. "I'm gonna die!"

Chanyeol was very puzzled, and finally demanded some explanations. That's when Jongin realized his best friend was home and started to assault him with screeches about how he got a date with Taemin.

Chanyeol screamed and patted him in the back and spent three hours bursting multiples and random "I told you so!" in a booming voice, and ordered chicken because they needed to celebrate and his self-proclaimed “lame-ass” cooking wasn't going to be good enough. Monggu barked a lot that evening as he ran in circles in the living room, wondering why his owner and the tall human were dancing around and wrestling on the floor and yelling.

Kyungsoo had been delighted when Jongin broke the news to him. And he even sent a whole bunch of stickers through their chat once again, which he only did in very special occasions.

Taemin and Jongin texted for three days, their conversation staying light and funny as they mostly discussed about their days, complaining about the transports being crowded and the weather being too hot. Sometimes Taemin would throw some hidden compliments at him, or a selfie, and that would remind Jongin just who exactly he was talking to. Texting with Taemin also included lots of emoticons Jongin wasn't used to, and he had to actually ask Chanyeol a few times what those strange associations of letters and numbers meant because he was clueless.

It was finally on Sunday night, after already twenty minutes of discussing about the new superhero movie that was soon going to air in theaters, that Taemin sent Jongin yet another unfairly cute picture of him. He was pouting. Jongin chocked on thin air.

" **Are we going to talk about it?** "

Jongin blinked at his screen, nibbling his lips, wondering if he had forgotten something. But he couldn't remember anything and it made him very nervous. Also, he couldn't think straight with that picture still visible.

" **Talk about what?** "

He put a sticker of a curious looking bear and waited.

" **Our date,** " came the reply.

Jongin winced at his own stupidity. How could he have actually forgotten about the date. They were supposed to talk about the details. Jongin was supposed to think about a place where he could bring Taemin.

" **… you still want to go on a date with me, right?** "

" **Of course!** " Jongin typed before he could think of something smarter to say.

It was intolerable that Taemin thought even for a second that Jongin was backing away from having a date with him. He really didn't want the man to think that he had changed his mind.

Taemin sent him another emotion that Chanyeol had explained was a smiling one, but Jongin wasn't sure to see any grin in that “6v6”.

Jongin tried to think of somewhere nice to take his crush; he really didn't want their date to flop because he chose a lame tearoom. On the other hand, he didn't know any, he didn't have that much experience in the dating area and all of this was making him extra nervous. At some point, he decided honesty would be better, and he admitted to Taemin that he really wanted to go on a tea date as the man had suggested, but he wasn't sure where to go.

" **No problem!!! I know a really nice tearoom... Is it okay if I take you there or you wanted to choose a place yourself?** "

Jongin typed a thoughtful answer that didn't convey the fact that he'd follow Taemin to the end of the world at this point in a too scary way.

After that, they exchanged a few texts over days and hours, and decided to settle for Tuesday afternoon. Jongin's heartbeats increased a lot when he realized he would have a date with Taemin in exactly two days and he still wasn't ready. He had no idea what to wear, what to talk about, what to do with himself.

" **Can you give me the tearoom's address, so I can tell you when I'll manage to get there after work?** " Jongin typed.

He then frowned and sat up on his bed, his head turning to his door as he heard Chanyeol knock the rhythm of the Pirates of the Caribbean theme. Only Chanyeol would.

"Come in."

The door creaked open and Chanyeol's grin appeared.

"Hello there, my most beautiful and precious best friend in the universe," Chanyeol sing-songed.

Jongin rolled his eyes and put his attention back to his chat with Taemin. But his seller still hadn't replied.

"What do you want?" He asked his roommate.

Jongin moved a bit to the side to let his gigantic friend snuggle next to him.

"Are you busy?"

"Yes."

"Can you still help me with my modern literature homeworks anyway because you love me a lot?"

Jongin blinked and turned back to Chanyeol, eyeing him up and down.

"It must be particularly awful for you to ask so nicely."

Chanyeol let his head fall down on Jongin's shoulder with a sigh.

"Yes it is. Please save me before I start crying, you smart person who likes books."

Jongin snickered and ruffled Chanyeol's hair.

"Of course, just give me a minute."

His phone brightened in his hand with a text from Taemin, and Jongin immediately opened the application back. He knew Chanyeol was reading with him, but he didn't try to hide his conversation. They were on a safe subject. Nothing to be ashamed of in front of his best friend.

**"Can I actually pick you up at your workplace? Please? Would that be okay? I'm curious about where you work. If you don't want though, it's okay."**

Jongin blinked with surprise, and nudged Chanyeol in his ribs when his friend cackled.

"You are two lovesick puppies, for real. So concerned, so careful, so smitten. It's so sweet it gives me diabetes."

"You should shut up before I let you rot in your misery of modern literature, Park Chanyeol," Jongin muttered.

Chanyeol immediately straightened up in panic.

"No, please. I'm sorry. I meant it in a lovely way! Like... he's so soft for you I can feel it from here!"

Jongin grumbled something unintelligible, eyes focused on his screen as he typed away an answer. Chanyeol poked on his reddening ears with a grin.

**"I don't mind at all. It's only fair, in a way... I already know where you work, ehe. I finish at 4pm."**

Jongin sent the address of his shop and then began to push Chanyeol away with his feet, making him fall ungraciously on the floor.

"Gimme a few minutes, okay. I'll finish planning stuff with Taemin and I'll meet you in your room."

Chanyeol send him another one of his very large, sunny smile, and got up.

"Okay, boss. I'm gonna make myself a cup of coffee. Do you want a tea?"

"Yup. The green tea pomegranate. Let it infuse only two minutes, please."

Chanyeol scratched his head, but nodded and went away. Jongin fell on his pillows, biting his bottom lip as he read Taemin's last message.

**"You work in a bookstore?! Nice!"**

 

 

It was taking all the self-control and patience Taemin had within himself not to seem too over-excited in every single text he sent. It was almost unfair how Jongin's messages seemed so collected and normal while he was rolling everywhere and trying to keep himself from flooding him with his every thoughts. He was biting his fingers to not ask for a picture because Jongin didn't seem to take the hint and answer Taemin's selfies with one of his own.

Taemin breathed deeply to calm himself down a bit, and put his fingers around his cup of tea as he stared at his phone displaying his last texts with Jongin.

He really had to try to stay cool with this whole thing. He tried to tell himself not to get too overwhelmed before they even spent one hour together. But he had wasted so many weeks daydreaming about Kim Jongin that he didn't want to think about their date going anything other than absolutely fantastic.

Taemin hadn't been on a proper date in months, and it was even longer -far far longer- since the last time he had actually been so interested in someone.

"Please, be gentle and courteous. And nice. And smart," he murmured with a pout to the conversation that had gone silent after Jongin told him he had to go.

.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there!
> 
> (๑>ᴗ<๑)
> 
> How was this? Did you like it? I was seriously so excited to write this chapter & I hope it met your expectations. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
> 
> Next chapter is gonna be all fireworks & rainbows, be prepared. But. Unfortunately, I have to say that I'm not sure I'll be able to post next wednesday. I got a bit late with writing because I'm currently pretty sick & I need rest & I still have to go to work... I will also be busy this week-end for Easter, so I'm afraid I won't be able to write a lot. I promise you I will do my best to give you the Taemnini date you so deserve as soon as possible, but please don't be too sad or upset if it has to come in two weeks. (ó﹏ò｡) I'm sorry.
> 
> On another note, I was at least able to work on my plans, and I just wanted to say that this fanfiction should be around 9 chapters long. So, it won't end after the first date... ... yup.
> 
> Finally, today's tea is "Green tea pomegranate" from the brand English Tea Shop. A really nice fairtrade & organic brand. This super sweet tea is a delight when correctly brewed... to me, it smells like cotton candy to be honest. But if I let it infuse more than two minutes, it's so bitter I cannot drink it ಠ_ಠ ...... be careful with this one, if you try it.
> 
> I wish you all a very good week & a nice Easter week-end. Please take care of yourselves & don't get sick (because it sucks).


	6. Lemon Cheesecake

.

When Jongin woke up on that fateful Tuesday morning, the day of his date with Lee Taemin, he jolted out of bed as soon as his alarm clock had gone off. This was quite unusual for him, who usually liked to snuggle his pillow until Chanyeol would barge into his room, kicking and screaming for him to get up and go to work. So when the two roommates met in the kitchen, Chanyeol looked at him with eyes so wide they looked like they could just fall from their eye-sockets and roll on the floor. Jongin dragged his feet all the way to the fridge, with puffy, barely open eyes, and pressed his forehead against the wall with a low whine.

"Jongin?"

A grumble answered Chanyeol's call.

"Are you alright?"

"No," Jongin whimpered, rubbing his face with one hand. "I was so stressed over today that I couldn't fall asleep until very late and now-...," he stopped his explanations to yawn, "now I'm so tired I might pass out."

Chanyeol couldn't help but chuckle as he went back to eat his rice quickly.

Jongin opened the fridge, took some yogurt and hauled himself to the chair in front of his best friend. He gulped down his yogurt before picking up some rice and seaweed Chanyeol had made for himself on the side of his bowl.

"Don't take my food," Chanyeol growled.

Jongin didn't listen.

He rubbed his eyes with his fists once more, and suddenly straightened up, blinking a few times.

"Chanyeol!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah?"

"I got a date with Taemin today!"

"Yes you do," Chanyeol snickered.

It seemed like all previous tiredness had vanished from Jongin's whole body and he got up from his chair in a jump, almost falling on the ground as his legs got tangled with the furniture. Chanyeol laughed wholeheartedly and followed the staggering walk of his roommate out of the kitchen with a smirk.

"Go get him tiger!"

Jongin raised his hand to send him some obscene sign with his fingers before he entered the bathroom. His hair was sticking in all directions, fluffy and defying gravity, his whole face was still swollen from sleep and as he came closer to the mirror to take a look at the extend of the disaster, he gulped at the sight of his puffy, red eyes.

"Oh damn," he winced, scratching the top of his head.

He undertook the task of taming his hair, and get dressed. He had chosen clothes the previous day, but of course, since then, he found them all pathetic and he lost fifteen minutes going through three new outfits to decide which one would be the best.

As he was all focused on his tasks, he hadn't noticed Chanyeol leaning on his doorway, staring at him with a smug grin on his face.

"I've never seen you putting that much efforts, especially into clothes."

Jongin jumped at the sudden noise and blushed all the way from his neck to his forehead. He grabbed a pillow on his bed and threw it somewhere in the vague direction of Chanyeol. It crashed on the wall about a meter away from his best friend.

"Shut up, you monkey," he grumbled.

Chanyeol laughed loudly at the poor insult and entered the room to come pinch Jongin's cheeks.

"You're so adorable, being anxious for your first date," he cooed.

"I swear to all evils in Hell, Park Chanyeol-...," Jongin started, but his best friend interrupted him with a poke on his nose.

"You should go with your pink tee-shirt. And the dark blue jeans," Chanyeol advised.

Jongin stayed silent, staring at Chanyeol with mistrust. But his roommate had lost that self-satisfied smile of his, and was looking at him with gentle eyes.

"You sure?" Jongin asked in a little voice.

"Yeah. Pink just suits you so well. And put your white sneakers. You're gonna slay this poor boy. He won't even understand what's coming for him."

"I don't wanna slay him, I wanna date him."

"That's what I'm saying. The pink tee-shirt will do the job of seducing him even if you can't manage to stutter a proper sentence. Trust the guy who's actually in a relationship here."

Jongin pleated his eyes, but finally nodded and went back to his wardrobe.

"I'm gonna be nice and not point out the fact that your girlfriend actually did all the job of seducing you, and I'm gonna listen to you for once."

"Good boy."

 

Morning at work had been a slow excruciating torture. Jongin kept glancing at the hour, but it felt like every clock in the whole universe had stopped working and were just playing tricks on him. He could swear he saw one of the hand of his watch going backward at some point.

There hadn't been much customers, and Jongin was stuck with the accounts book anyway, having to prepare an upcoming delivery of new books. Time was by now a very abstract concept. It looked like minutes took hours to pass, but at the same time, he wasn't getting any job done at all and several hours after getting there, his books order was still only half done. Because all he could think about was Taemin. What would he look like today? What would he wear? Would he like Jongin's pink tee-shirt? He shouldn't have listened to Chanyeol, he should have gone with his light blue one. And then what would they talk about? Would he manage to be cool enough? What if Taemin didn't like him in the end?

"Jongin?"

The man perked up from his notebook and looked at his colleague who was staring at him.

"Are you done with the order yet? I could use some help to order the new arrivals on shelves. I can't do it properly when I have to constantly run to the cash register."

Jongin swallowed up his guilt, as he realized he had left Eunjung by herself all morning.

"I'm sorry, I'll be there in a minute. I'm almost done, I swear."

Eunjung only smiled gratefully at him and went away again. Jongin sighed, slapping his hands on his cheeks a few times to wake himself up as he did his best to focus on his work. He tried to stop thinking about Lee Taemin to get his duties done; but even though he actually managed to be productive, getting his crush out of his mind had completely failed. Taemin was constantly back in his thoughts.

He still found himself busy enough to not check his watch every twenty-two seconds.

 

"Hello there."

Jongin was crouching on the ground, getting a few books from a carton box to put them nicely on display. He frowned, looked up, and felt his heart smash against his ribcage.

Here was Taemin, in all his glorious beauty, smiling brightly at him from above with his head tilted a bit to the side. Jongin's face crumbled, one of his hand rushing to shakily take the glasses that had been sitting on his nose all morning, off, as he swallowed hard.

"Oh, hello."

He saw a hint of concern flicker in Taemin's eyes and Jongin finally realized he should get up.

"Everything's alright?" Taemin asked in a low voice.

Jongin blinked a few times and nodded, nervously looking at the watch on his wrist before he gave Taemin a tentative smile.

"Yeah... uh-... You're a bit early."

He hadn't meant to say it like that. He hadn't meant to say this at all. And he beat himself up mentally when he saw Taemin furrow his eyebrows.

"I'm sorry, I was scared of being late actually, so-... I didn't think it would be a problem."

Jongin felt his heart sink in his chest at the sound of Taemin's insecure voice.

"It's not," he whispered immediately.

Now Taemin looked extremely confused by his whole behavior and Jongin was starting to sweat because this was getting awkward and everything was terrible. He glanced around them for a second, and was relieved to see that they were alone in the little corner of young-adults books.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Was I rude? I didn't mean to be rude. It's just-... You weren't supposed to see me in glasses. I thought I would have time-... I was supposed to take them off before meeting you. My eyes were just so red this morning..."

He was ridiculous, and he knew it the second he heard himself pronounce those stupid words. He was also shaking and he wanted to hide somewhere.

Taemin was staring at him, his whole face relaxing, and he let out a slight laugh. It wasn't a mean one. It was soft and sweet, and Jongin's heart came back to life at the sound of it.

"Oh dear... you got me scared. I thought you were reconsidering getting on a date with me right now," Taemin murmured.

Jongin shook his head, one of his hand coming to rub at his ear with unease.

"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I'm not reconsidering anything at all. I'm very happy to see you."

Taemin was smiling again.

"I'm very happy too," he giggled. "So, what's the matter with your glasses exactly?"

"I'm ugly in them," Jongin said softly with a wince.

Taemin looked very surprised. Then he smirked.

"I will have to be the judge of that then. Would you put them back?"

Jongin pouted.

"Only if you promise to still come on our date afterwards," he whined.

Taemin laughed, and he had to cover his mouth with his hand. He even looked around, hoping he didn't attract too much attention. But they were still alone.

"I promise."

Jongin sighed, and reluctantly put his glasses back on his nose with a cringe. He was so weak for this man, it was a damn joke. He hold his breath and looked at Taemin, his lips pinched, waiting for any comment.

"Well, I inform you that you are a liar," Taemin said casually.

"What?" Jongin chocked.

"They don't make you ugly. At all. Really."

Jongin looked at him, in total disbelief, his mouth open in surprise. Taemin only nodded, more to himself than to Jongin, and winked cheekily.

"Will you be a sweetheart and keep them on for our date? Please. It's my birthday-date after all, do that for me."

"Are you serious?" Jongin squeaked.

"Very much. You're unreasonably handsome like that."

Jongin felt his whole face burning with embarrassment and delight. His heart was hammering so loudly in his chest he could feel it pounding in his ears.

"Okay then," he said, after a difficult swallow.

He had no idea how he even ended up in this situation and why he let it happen.

"Thank you," Taemin chirped. "I will let you finish your work now... I'll just wait for you around, is that alright?"

Jongin nodded and with that, Taemin went away, disappearing in between bookshelves with a wink. Jongin stood motionless for a whole minute before a small smile tugged at his lips. Then he went back to order the books he still had to take care of with a newfound eagerness, as he really didn't want to keep Taemin waiting more than necessary; Taemin who was strolling around at his workplace, looking ridiculously attractive. Jongin's breath went shaky when his thoughts headed back to the man. He had combed his hair backward; Jongin's favorite thing in the whole world. And he was wearing a loose grey shirt; Jongin had caught a glimpse of his collarbones when Taemin had moved around a bit. And those tight light blue faded jeans were heavenly. Everything about Taemin was dreamy.

How was Jongin suppose to survive all of this?

As soon as the clock hit 4pm, he disappeared to the locker room. He quickly grabbed his personal stuff and checked himself on the mirror hanging in the small bathroom; one hand came to ruffle his hair a bit and when his eyes fell on his glasses, he sighed.

"You can do this," he whispered as a small pep talk.

He frowned to his reflection, nodded once and decided to go for it. With his glasses on. Taemin wanted him to. Who was he to deny any wish Lee Taemin had? As that thought crossed his mind, he realized he was completely screwed. Taemin already had him wrapped around his finger and Jongin couldn't even find it in himself to complain and fight it.

Taemin was waiting for him next to the front door of the shop, stunning as he always was, looking through a book he picked up from a display unit. Jongin's heart was bouncing around in his chest at the sight of him.

"Are you ready?" Jongin asked, his voice tight, as he reached the man.

Taemin blinked away from the book in his hands and offered him a large smile. His eyes were shining with happiness as they fell on Jongin's glasses.

"Hm, yes I am."

They left Jongin's workplace, and Taemin put his hands in the pockets of his jeans, as he came to walk a bit closer to him.

"So-... the tea room is actually not so far away from here. We can walk, or the bus would only be one stop away."

"I'm okay with walking."

Taemin looked pleased. They had barely made two steps that Jongin started to feel nervous and he felt bad for not preparing anything to talk about on their way to the tea room.

"I'm really excited," Taemin whispered next to him, and Jongin looked at him with raised eyebrows. "I mean, hm-... to go to the tea room. It's really nice. I've always wanted to take someone there. Not as a friend. You know."

One of the thing Jongin liked most about Taemin, was the way his whole face was coming to life as he spoke. He always made so many littles faces and pouts and expressions as he talked, it was incredibly entertaining. Sometimes it even involved his hands. He was already like that in his tea shop, behind his counter, but in that moment, it was ten times more intense. Jongin was mesmerized.

Then Taemin's words actually made it to his brain and he couldn't help but smile with happiness. Taemin, on the other hand, was starting to blush and stutter.

"Of course you-... You don't have to feel pressured or anything. It's still only a tea room. Am I putting pressure on you now? Damn. I should stop talking. I just haven't done this in a while, I'm a bit nervous."

Seeing Taemin that agitated somehow helped Jongin tame his own anxiety.

"I'm nervous too," Jongin admitted, looking away. "But I'm happy to go there with you. Not as a friend."

"Good," Taemin answered softly.

He nudged Jongin's elbow playfully.

"Also...," Taemin whispered, "Thank you for keeping your glasses on. And I would like to say that I think you look gorgeous today."

Jongin's choked on thin air and coughed a bit, his eyes wide.

"Thank you," he managed.

Taemin was laughing sweetly besides him.

"I think so too," Jongin continued with a trembling voice, and then cringed. "I mean-... I think you look gorgeous too. Not myself. You know what I mean, don't you? Oh god, why am I so awkward."

"Thanks," Taemin answered with a pleased little smirk.

He stole a glance at the man walking next to him and noticed how tensed Jongin looked. Taemin wanted to take his hand and hold it, but they were in the middle of the streets, with lots of passersby around, and it was the beginning of their very first date, so he definitely didn't feel brave enough to try that. Instead, he smiled fondly at him.

"I developed a crush on you by watching you blush and stutter in my tea shop, you know. There's nothing new to me here. I like your little awkwardness. It's endearing."

Jongin let out a hesitant laugh.

"I'm not sure if this helps, but thanks."

Taemin's hand on his arm stopped him and he looked over at him with questioning eyes.

"It's here," Taemin only said, pointing at a little shop on their right.

"Oh, okay."

Taemin tugged at his sleeve and dragged him inside. The tea room was small, decorated in soft, warm colors, from light brown to orange, rich red, cream and maroon. It was rendered extremely cosy by plants spurting everywhere next to large armchairs and loveseats, disposed in a way to create little intimate booths. It was calm, the quietness only perturbed by murmurs of customers, tinkles of cups and water boiling.

Jongin looked around with curiosity, and followed Taemin as the man walked all the way to the corner at the back of the tea room, plopping himself in a very large beige armchair. Jongin made his way to the light red recliner in front of him and sighed at how comfortable it was. He could feel his whole body dive into the soft furniture, it was incredibly nice.

"You like it?" Taemin asked, wiggling on his seat with anticipation.

"I do, it's a really nice place."

"Wait until the see the menu," Taemin laughed, gliding said card to him with a smirk. "I love coming here for both the tranquility and their wonderful teas."

Jongin brought the menu closer and his eyebrows rose on his forehead with surprise at the very large amount of choices. He licked his lips as his eyes flickered through all different teas. They all looked delicious, and there was already three blends he'd like to try in the black teas section only. This was going to be difficult. After a few minutes, he looked back at Taemin, who was sitting cross legged on his seat, staring at him. The man jumped a bit at being caught in the act and Jongin sniggered at his failed attempt to come out casual. He still acted as if nothing had happened.

"Do you already know what you'll take?" Jongin asked.

"Yes. My favorite is the Lemon Cheesecake."

Jongin seemed surprised; he turned the menu in his hands and found the page listing all the different cakes and cookies they could also order.

"Oh, okay. And as a tea?"

"No I mean, I'm taking the Lemon Cheesecake tea," Taemin chirped. "It's quite fabulous actually, they managed to create a tea that taste like cheesecake. Isn't that the ultimate dream?"

Jongin looked at him with round eyes and went back to the teas section, searching for it. He had half assumed that Taemin was kidding him, but he did found a Lemon Cheesecake white tea and stared at the little title in disbelief.

"And it's really good?"

"Damn right it is," Taemin nodded.

"I want to try it too then," Jongin started, before he stopped himself and puffed his cheeks. "Ooh wait."

"What did you find?"

"Raspberries Mascarpone? Is this real?" Jongin squeaked.

Taemin was giggling in front of him, visibly very happy with how things were going, and Jongin sighed.

"How can they expect me to choose from all those wonderful stuff?"

"They don't. That's how they trick you into coming back, I suppose," Taemin answered mischievously. "You can take the Raspberries Mascarpone, I tried it, it's really good. And I'll let you taste my Lemon Cheesecake, is that okay?"

Talking about tea with Taemin was easy and comfortable. It was a safe subject that he was used to.

"Thanks," he murmured.

Taemin waved one hand and whispered that there was nothing to thank for. Jongin looked over the card once more before nodding.

"Do you want some cake with it? Talking about cheesecake made me want some. I think I'll go with the brownie, though."

Taemin pouted, visibly pondering over it and Jongin smiled with mischief.

"Please let me treat you to some cake. It's your birthday date after all."

"Oh," Taemin said, "you don't-... you don't have to. Treat me, I mean. The birthday date-... It was just a joke."

"Please, let me buy you some cake."

Taemin suddenly looked very shy, but a smile bloomed on his lips and he took the menu Jongin had just put back on the table. He murmured some little thank and disappeared behind the paper to choose a cake.

A waitress came to take their orders, and as she went away again, Taemin glanced at Jongin.

"So," he started, and somehow that simple little word got Jongin tensed again. "I have a first question, may I?"

Jongin nodded.

"You work in a bookstore," Taemin announced, matter-of-factly, "is it because you like books, or because you needed a job and they offered and you had no other choice?"

Jongin relaxed as soon as Taemin pronounced the word “books” and his whole face lightened up.

"I do," he answered eagerly. "I love books actually. I've always loved to read, and you?"

Taemin's eyes were shining with glee. He seemed to have found on first try the one thing to talk about to get Jongin to stop freaking out, and he was quite proud of himself.

"I do too," Taemin admitted. "What kind of books do you enjoy?"

Jongin straightened in his armchair, sitting closer to the edge as he twiddled his glasses again. Taemin could see how hooked up in the conversation he already was; the man was so excited to talk about books that he was becoming restless. It was such an adorable part of Jongin, that he hadn't seen, up until now.

"Well, I read lots of different things. I like everything that is well-written, I guess. I might have a soft spot for thrillers though, and psychological stories. But hm-... I like fantastic novels too. Oh and lately I just-... I got this book and I'm very happy about it. Do you know Homer? The Greek author who wrote the Odyssey... You know about him?"

Taemin only had to nod once for Jongin to continue talking, stars exploding in his eyes.

"Oh really? Well, I think the Iliad is a masterpiece. But I never got to find a really good translation. I mean, the problem with Homer is that his style is almost 'too' rich. So most of the translations cannot grasp the entirety of his work. Either they translate far too literally, and you get the sense, but Homer's poetry is completely lost and it's so sad. I think it's really so sad. Or they get the sounds and poetry of the story, but then they can't translate the actions and adventures properly, and we lose the accuracy of it. And I was really upset for a long time. But as I said, I'm very happy lately because I think I found just the right translation and it's like-... I'm rediscovering one of my favorite book of all time and it's so much better than before because this time, I got the perfect translation and I'm-... like-... wow. It's incredible."

He was interrupted by the waitress coming with their orders and as Taemin was smiling at her and telling her where to put their drinks, he missed how Jongin's face suddenly crumbled back down into anxiety.

Taemin thanked the woman, and was surprised to find Jongin staring at his feet when he turned back to him.

"Jongin? What's wrong?" he asked, worried.

"I- hm... I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"I don't want to bore you out. I just... get really excited with books, sorry."

Taemin wished he could take Jongin's hand and poke his button nose, because that man was really too adorable to be real. But he only nudged Jongin's feet with his own and when Jongin looked up again, he gave him a soft smile.

"Please, don't apologize. I won't pretend that I understood everything you just said, but I don't mind listening to you when you're so passionate about something. It's touching. You can explain it a bit slower for me, perhaps."

A tiny smile appeared at the corner of Jongin's lips and he hunched over to take his cup of tea, as to occupy his hands. Taemin's words had been so caring, and they had sounded so sincere that he could feel his insides melting.

"W-what about you?" he stuttered. "Are you reading anything lately?"

Taemin chuckled and nervously scratched his nose.

"Well to be honest, it might seem a bit silly compared to what you read..."

"No," Jongin immediately answered. "Please, I'm not like that. I'm not some elitist or whatever. I'm just curious about what you read, even if it's the gossip section of any magazine."

Taemin laughed again, and took the tea bag out of his tea cup. That reminded Jongin to do the same before his tea would taste too bitter.

"Actually, I'm reading children books those days."

"Which ones?" Jongin inquired, taking a bite out of his brownie.

Taemin smiled behind his cup of tea. The look of interest and cheerfulness on Jongin's face really didn't seem faked.

"There was a book I really liked when I was a kid, it was “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, by Roald Dahl. And I actually found it back at my parent's house a month ago or so, and decided to reread it. I loved it so much all over again, that I wanted to try more books from this author. I'm reading them so fast and I'm currently with the one called “Matilda”, if you know it..."

"I do, I know it. I love it quite a lot too. Did you read “the Witches”? I can't exactly choose a favorite, but he's in my top three from Roald Dahl."

Taemin nodded eagerly.

"Yes, I found it wonderful. I actually love how he wrote books aimed at children, but he's not sugar-coating anything. There are real adventures and villains and it's scary, but the hero is always a child, saving the day by thinking in a childish way. I love all the magic in those books, how funny they always are."

"My thoughts exactly."

Jongin was delighted. They were talking about books, and Taemin kept explaining things about his favorites authors and series and he didn't seem tired of hearing Jongin's opinion either. They were agreeing on so many things, and Taemin actually took note of one book Jongin told him about. It was so lovely Jongin could barely believe this was all real. He had finally managed to work through his nervousness and it was going great and he really hoped Taemin was having as much of a wonderful time as he was.

His tea was fantastic too, and Taemin had let him try the Lemon Cheesecake, as he had promised. Jongin had been bewildered at how much it tasted like an actual cheesecake.

"May I ask you something?" Jongin tried at some point, when he was feeling comfortable enough.

"Of course, what is it?"

Jongin opened his mouth, and then closed it, and bit his bottom lip. He wasn't sure how to actually phrase his question. Taemin sipped on his tea, waiting patiently for him.

"How come you can speak French?"

Taemin gave him a knowing smirk and Jongin swallowed with some difficulties.

"I mean," Jongin continued, "I'm curious about why you learned it. And to be honest, I also wanted to ask how much you understood... you know... that day."

Jongin stared at the cup of tea in his hands, unable to look Taemin in the eyes.

"I didn't get much of it actually," Taemin confessed. "I started learning French a few months ago, because my older brother married a French girl, and they're talking about moving there sooner or later. She's a really nice person and I like her a lot, and I guess I just wanted to be able to say a few words to her. I don't know, I got interested while talking to her. So when you came in there with your friend, I understood you two were whispering about me, and it made me a bit upset to be honest, because you were talking too quietly and fast and I couldn't get it. But then I got two or three... hm-... very interesting words and well... I didn't really know how to react. I was also a bit scared of being wrong."

Jongin couldn't help the sudden sigh of relief that he breathed out and Taemin chuckled.

"Oooh, you have to tell me what you actually said," he laughed. "Was it that embarrassing?"

"Yes, it was," Jongin moaned. "Please don't make me say it again. But hm-... it's nice that you're learning a language for your sister-in-law."

Taemin fluttered his eyelashes at him, and Jongin's brain suddenly stopped functioning properly. He looked at the man giving him an exaggerated pout with pleading eyes.

"Pretty, pretty please?" Taemin begged. "Tell me! It's not very nice to say things behind my back like that."

Jongin's eyes widened impossibly and the grip he had on his mug tightened. His cheeks were growing carmine.

"Well," he tried to defend himself, "it wasn't very nice either to not tell me you could speak French. You also once said that you couldn't pronounce “Jardin du Luxembourg” correctly..."

"Ah, I'm sorry," Taemin chuckled and he stopped to torture Jongin with his begging face. "To be honest, I really can't say those words properly because my accent is super thick and I'm ashamed of it. And I would have loved to talk to you, more personally and all, but I just didn't know how to place it in a conversation without sounding like I was bragging about being able to stutter three words of French. And I'm actually quite glad I didn't say it, in the end, because you seem to be fluent in French and I would have embarrassed myself quite much if I had tried to boast about my French skills."

"It would still have been less embarrassing than me confessing my huge crush on you like that," Jongin grumbled.

Taemin hid his laugh behind one hand and nodded.

"Fair enough," he mused. "but if all of that terribly awkward scene hadn't happened, would you have asked me out?"

Jongin rubbed at his ear with a sigh.

"Probably not. And by probably, I mean definitely."

"Then I'm so glad for my horrible French accent which somehow prevented me from telling you I could understand “love of your life” in French."

Jongin whined and hid his face in one of his hands.

"Of course you got that part," he cried out.

Taemin let out an evil laugh as he wiggled on his armchair.

"Of course I did," he teased. "I also got the hint that it was a joke."

Jongin exhaled a frustrated little whimper and grabbed his plate, stuffing his mouth with brownie to cope with how ridiculous he felt. Taemin's foot gently nudging his own again forced him to look up to the man, and he pouted. Taemin was glancing at him with those mischievous sparkles in his eyes and it was strangely calming.

"So, how did you end up learning French?" Taemin asked back.

He wanted to take the conversation back to a safer subject, where Jongin wouldn't look like a kicked puppy. As much as he enjoyed how adorable Jongin was when he was blushing, he didn't want to make him uncomfortable.

"I learned for 'Soo. I mean, Kyungsoo, my friend," Jongin explained. "I love languages. I love to learn them I mean. And I befriended Kyungsoo online, and then I figured out he was French and, I don't know... at some point I thought it would be interesting to learn."

"That's so cool. Do you know other languages?"

"Hum yeah. I learned English in school, and uh-... I taught myself Chinese. I have a Chinese friend who helps me a lot though."

Taemin looked at him almost in awe, his mouth hanging open, and Jongin started fidgeting again.

"You're incredible," Taemin murmured.

"Am I?" Jongin stammered with an hesitant laugh.

"Yes, you're so passionate and curious... it's-... you're captivating."

"Thanks."

Jongin was cowering in shyness behind his cup of tea again and Taemin could feel his heart swell with tenderness. He had completely lost track of time, and he didn't care in the least, because the man sitting in front of him was so full of wonders. He wanted to learn everything there was to know about Kim Jongin. And so he did. He asked him about his Chinese friend, and then if he had friends around too. He learned about Chanyeol, and rolled in his armchair laughing when he understood that he was the friend he had met once in his tea shop. Jongin even admitted with red cheeks that Chanyeol had only come to check him out because Jongin couldn't stop talking about him, and Taemin was on cloud nine.

They talked about Taemin's friends too, and Jongin wondered if they knew about Taemin being gay. It turned out that they did, and Jongin learned that in all his group of friends, four of them had taken the news with a shrug and open arms, but two former friends weren't around anymore. Then Jongin admitted that besides Chanyeol, Yixing and Kyungsoo, he didn't have many other friends, and that the other guys he knew through his best friend didn't know about his sexuality. It was making him too anxious.

By the time they were done with the difficult subjects, their cakes were finished, and they ordered another cup of tea each.

"Chanyeol does sound like the perfect best friend."

"He is, but please don't ever tell him I admitted it so easily."

"I promise not to tell anything next time I see him," Taemin teased.

"He is so wonderful that he let me move in with my dog even though he's allergic. He actually takes medication all the time to bear with it. He keeps saying that it's not a problem because he really loves dogs too, and I know it's true, but still... he sacrifices his health to make me happy. That's exactly how dedicated he is."

Taemin had suddenly straightened up from his seat and a beaming grin flourished on his face.

"You have a dog?!" he squealed.

Jongin froze, and a smile identical as the one dancing on Taemin's lips, appeared on his mouth.

"I do," he said excitedly. "Do you like dogs too?"

"Of course, who doesn't?!" Taemin snorted. "What's his name? How is he? Show me some pictures, please!"

Jongin positively trembled with happiness as he took his phone out of his pocket to search for pictures of his precious Monggu.

"He's a poodle and I'm positively sure he's the cutest poodle in the whole world," Jongin chirped. "His name is Monggu, look!"

He shoved his phone to Taemin's face, waiting for any reaction. Taemin cooed, his lips coming to a pout and he scrolled through pictures.

"He really is adorable," Taemin whispered.

"I know right," Jongin said, with the smile of a proud parent.

Then Taemin glanced at him and bit his lips. He took his own phone out and typed on it for a few seconds, before showing a pictures of two puppies.

"Are they-...," Jongin started, with a surprised smile.

"This is Eve, and here is Adam. They're mine."

If Jongin had any doubts left about Taemin being the most perfect human alive, they disappeared in that moment.

"Unfortunately, I don't live with them," Taemin continued with a sad little frown, as he took his phone back. "They're staying with my parents. My apartment is too small and dogs aren't allowed anyway. I might be able to move out soon though, and I swear I won't live anywhere that doesn't allow Adam and Eve to be with me."

"Well, I really hope you'll find the perfect place then. You must miss them a lot," Jongin said in a sympathetic tone.

He couldn't imagine living without Monggu. He would be far too miserable without his precious poodle.

"Thank you."

"Is it weird if I say that I hope I can meet them someday?"

Taemin stared at him silently. His face was serene but he seemed to be pondering over a thousand thoughts at the same time. Jongin felt like the man in front of him was piercing his soul with those deep eyes gazing at him, and it was making him regret opening his mouth to blurt out those words.

"It's not," Taemin finally whispered after what seemed like an eternity to Jongin.

And Jongin sighed with relief.

"Actually," Taemin continued, and he bit his bottom lip, giving Jongin a teasing grin. "What would you think about a dogs-date?"

Jongin appeared a bit lost. He glanced back at Taemin with a quirked eyebrow.

"A dogs-date?" he repeated.

"Mhm," Taemin mused out loud. "We could take the puppies to the park, together. I'd meet Monggu and you'd meet Adam and Eve. For our second date. If you want a second date, that is."

"I do," Jongin exclaimed before he had time to even comprehend all Taemin had said.

That made Taemin laugh sweetly, and Jongin scratched his forehead with a low moan.

"I mean, yeah... I'd like a second date with you. And a dogs-date would be perfect," he whispered.

"I'm glad you like the idea," Taemin chuckled, sipping on his tea. "Besides, this will save us some time. I have to warn you, if Eve doesn't like you, I won't be able to see you anymore. It's better that you meet him soon, so I don't get too attached in case he rejects you."

Jongin looked up to him; Taemin had a glint of mischief playing in his eyes, but his face was serious. For a moment, he wondered how much of this was a game, and if Taemin could really stop seeing him if his dog disliked him. But all dogs loved him anyway, there was nothing to worry about. Right? Dogs could usually feel his undying love for them and answered the same way.

"Are you worried?" Taemin snickered.

"Maybe a bit. I will make sure to be decent and make a good impression. What about Adam? What will happen if he doesn't like me?"

Taemin laughed. A real laugh that got him to squirm on his armchair and Jongin stood there, wondering what was so funny as he took in the the beauty of Taemin giggling like a child.

"Well... Eve actually loves the whole world, there's no way he'll dislike you. He's super duper affectionate and he will probably cling to you if you so much as play with him for twenty seconds. But Adam is a little shit and I'm not even sure he likes me, so I won't put that much pressure on you. If I waited for him to approve of a man for me, I'd probably die single."

Jongin felt the little weight on his stomach lift to the sky and disappear. But then he smirked at Taemin, a small challenge igniting his eyes.

"Then... what if Adam likes me?"

Taemin pursed his lips in a little pout, and scrunched his nose.

"You're becoming greedy, Kim Jongin."

"You're the one to blame for making me want more," Jongin said.

Taemin looked at him, a bit taken aback by that sudden burst of confidence coming from the man who had been blushing every time their eyes met, a few hours ago. Then he saw it, the flicker of awkwardness in Jongin's eyes, and Taemin's face softened. A confident Jongin was exciting, but a shy Jongin trying to sound confident was even more charming.

"Alright," Taemin conceded. "If you manage to make Adam like you, I might consider a movie date at my place one evening. And I would let you choose the movie. How does that sound?"

Jongin was beaming.

"I'm in."

It was Taemin's turn to blush a little. It was a bit stunning, how quick Jongin was to answer and how honest and blunt he was with his indubitable crush on him.

They were interrupted by a small cough next to them, and both turned to a waitress, who bowed deeply to them.

"Sir, I'm really sorry to obstruct, but we have to close now..."

Taemin frowned and took his phone out of his pocket to look at the time, as Jongin was stuttering a litany of apologies to the waitress, bowing even deeper than her. And Taemin's eyes widened impossibly when he realized it was past eight o'clock already and they had stayed there, talking, for four hours.

They got up in a rush, excusing themselves over and over again, and Jongin went to pay for their orders. Taemin tried to argue about that, not wanting him to pay the whole bill of everything they ate and drank all afternoon and evening, but Jongin was hearing none of it and he kept giving Taemin's birthday as an excuse.

They were on the street, walking down side to side, and Jongin wondered how he could not have noticed the sun going down and the afternoon disappearing like that. There had been only Taemin in his mind all afternoon, and it had been even more delightful than everything he could have imagined.

"I can't believe we made them close late," Taemin laughed. "I feel a bit bad."

"I do too. I usually get so mad at people lingering in the bookstore when closing time is coming..."

Jongin discreetly shifted closer to Taemin, and their arms brushed against each other as they continued to stroll around.

"How do you get home? Can I walk you there for a bit?" Jongin asked in a murmur.

"I have to go take the line two," Taemin answered, and his eyes were so soft that Jongin felt his heart melt. "You're welcome to come with me if it's not a bother."

Jongin assured him that he didn't mind, and they walked in silence for a while. It wasn't uncomfortable or uneasy, it was gentle and soothing; the kind of relaxed calm that Jongin usually found with Kyungsoo. They didn't need to talk anymore, the space between them was reassuring.

They had spent hours together, and yet, when they arrived on the platform of Taemin's metro, it felt too soon.

"Can I be honest with you?" Taemin whispered, all of a sudden.

Jongin felt his lungs contract painfully and his heart bolted.

"Yes," he said, with apprehension.

Taemin seemed to noticed the way his shoulders tensed, because he poked his nose.

"Don't be like that. I already asked you on a second date... I just wanted to say that this was without any doubt the most wonderful first date I've ever had."

Jongin's smiled his largest, most beaming grin.

"I found it fantastic too," he laughed.

Jongin's eyes fell on Taemin's lips and his breath went shaky. He wanted to kiss him more than anything, he wanted to feel that plushy mouth against his and he wanted to hold Taemin in his arms and kiss his nose and cheeks too. Taemin must have realized where his thoughts were going, because he pinched his lips and looked sheepishly on the side. They were standing on a platform, surrounded by a dozen of people, and they both knew that.

The subway was arriving, it was roaring in the distance. Taemin swallowed and coughed lightly.

"Maybe we'll get a better chance in our second date," he said, with shining eyes staring at Jongin's lips.

"Maybe," Jongin muttered.

"I hope so."

"Me too."

The metro stopped next to them and Taemin laughed. His hand came to give a squeeze on Jongin's arm.

"Good night, Kim Jongin. Have sweet dreams of me," he purred, before he receded, and disappeared inside the subway.

Jongin let out a long sigh as he watched the wagons pass before his eyes. He wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or pout. He wasn't sure if he felt light as a feather, or heavy as a rock. But he wanted to waltz right there and bounce and sing. His date had been every kind of perfect. And he was falling so hopelessly in love with Lee Taemin.

.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello dears,
> 
> how have you been?  
> So, this chapter was actually pretty hard to write. I had so many things in mind, it was difficult to order everything correctly... I hope the result was interesting and nice to read, and not too boring or long. Any feedback is always appreciated, as to make the next chapters better.  
> I hope you're still enjoying this sickeningly slow and soft Taekai... ♥♥
> 
> Today's tea is “Lemon Cheesecake”. Yes, it is real and yes, it tastes and smells like cheesecake. I found this wonder in my small tea shop in Germany, but unfortunately, I cannot find any brand name with it. I have no idea if it's a blend made only by my tea shop or not. If you find any cake-tea in your tea shop, I always recommend smelling them to oblivion. And if it smells good, try it.
> 
> Until next time, I wish you all the best.


	7. Hyeonmi-nokcha

.

"… and then, we talked about books. For I don't even know how long," Jongin sighed, his eyes shining with happiness.

He was sprawled over the couch, his feet resting on the coffee table in front of the TV. His arms were spread wide, and his head was resting against the wall behind him. He had a dreamy grin playing on his lips as he narrated his whole date with Taemin to Chanyeol. His best friend had hung himself to his leg as soon as Jongin had went through the door that evening, whining and begging for a report in excruciating details. Those had been his words.

Jongin hadn't been sure about sharing everything, especially right away, because some part of him wanted to keep it all as a precious treasure. But Chanyeol insisted and Jongin was giddy with joy; the idea to revive every moment excitedly with his best friend was kind of appealing. So here they were. Chanyeol was sitting next to him, his long legs folded against his chest, one hand lost in some extra large bag of crisps, big round eyes glued to Jongin, drinking every word Jongin spoke.

"And then?" Chanyeol shakily breathed out.

"It was just-... it was perfect. He kept telling me about his favorite books, and he had so interesting opinions on writing styles. And we didn't read all the same things, and he said he would give Dostoevsky a try if I like him that much and he was so open and patient, and he said he would ask me for books recommendations. And I'm so damn happy."

Chanyeol munched on another handful of crisps.

"I'm starting to believe in soulmates for heaven's sake," Chanyeol grumbled. "And then what?"

Jongin laughed at his idiotic comment, but couldn't find it in himself to even try to argue. He was too high on cloud nine to care. So he told Chanyeol about how Taemin learned French, and that they talked about their friends. He didn't share any personal detail about Taemin, but confessed all the subjects they spoke over. Chanyeol rolled on the sofa when Adam and Eve were mentioned, he started to scream that they were meant to be and then got up to pick Monggu from Jongin's bed.

"Monggu deserves to know about his future brothers-in-law," he exclaimed as he squished the poor poodle against his chest with a beaming smile. "You're gonna have brothers! Yes, you are! Brothers for you! Aren't you excited?"

"Please calm down," Jongin laughed with a shy grin. "It was only the first date. And we're not-... we're not anything. Yet."

Chanyeol didn't seem to give him much attention now that Monggu was there, and he played with the puppy for some long minutes. Finally, the poodle jumped away from his big hands to come lay between Jongin's feet, and Chanyeol looked back at his best friend.

"But you want more, right?"

"Yeah I do. I'm trying not to get ahead of myself, but he's just-... he's so-... you know."

"I get it," Chanyeol snickered. "So then, continue with the story please. The suspense is killing me."

Jongin rolled his eyes, and told him how they decided to go on some dogs-date. Chanyeol choked dramatically at that, one hand over his heart, yelling that Taemin was too cute to be true. Jongin agreed eagerly to that, and went on with how they were practically thrown away from the tea room, to the moment Taemin disappeared from view.

Chanyeol was frozen on the couch, looking at him with wide eyes and a frown.

"Wait... are you kidding me?"

"Uh? What do you mean?"

Jongin nervously scratched his ear and Chanyeol gritted his teeth.

"So you two didn't even kiss?!"

Jongin and Monggu both jumped at the thunderous bark from Chanyeol.

"No," Jongin complained. "We were surrounded by people... It just-... we can't do it like that."

"Kim Jongin," Chanyeol ranted and raved with an agonizing wail. "You're making me listen to all this sickening sweet flirt between you and your soulmate only to end it like that? What the-... what the actual-... How can you be serious?!"

Jongin crossed his arms against his chest with an offended pout.

"Well first of all, you were the one who wanted to know everything that happened. And second, I'm the one who's frustrated about not being kissed!"

Chanyeol let himself fall on the floor in that theatrical way of his and laid there, looking at the ceiling with a sigh.

"What am I going to do with you?" he whispered.

"What was I supposed to do exactly?" Jongin whined, coming closer to the edge of the couch to look at him. "You really do know I couldn't kiss him with people around..."

Chanyeol draped an arm on his eyes.

"Love finds a way," he only said, solemnly.

"Don't incorrectly quote Jurassic Park at me," Jongin threatened.

Chanyeol couldn't help the smirk that broke his lips.

"Also, please don't do that. Don't ruin this date for me. You know how difficult it was... I'm very happy with how it went... and even though I'm a bit upset that I couldn't kiss him, I wouldn't change a thing about today," Jongin continued, his voice getting softer and quieter.

Chanyeol squirmed on the floor and finally got up to come back next to his best friend.

"Sorry," he said with that sheepish smile of his. "I'm very proud of you, you know. And I'm so glad it all went well."

Jongin nodded, and then shrugged with a low hum.

"Should we continue the Indiana Jones marathon before we get sappy?"

"Words of wisdom," Chanyeol breathed out as he jumped on his feet to go get the DVD.

 

When Jongin woke up on the next day, the apartment was silent. It was his day off, and Chanyeol had probably already went off to university a couple of hours ago. He turned around, hugging his pillow, and sighed. He knew by the way the sun was lighting up his room that it was probably past noon, but he still couldn't find it in himself to move anyway. One of his hand came to rub at his puffy eyes as he yawned loudly; then he reached for his phone on his nightstand. He brought it close to his face, squinting at the screen as he turned it on. He blinked a few times, trying to get rid of the sleepy fog in his mind when he saw the notification saying he got a new message. From Taemin.

A large smile instantly bloomed on his lips, and he rolled on his back with happiness.

" **Hi!** " It only said.

There was a sticker of a dancing little chick. It had been sent four hours ago.

" **Hey.** "

Jongin bit his lips as he pressed send awkwardly. And waited. He wasn't sure what he was waiting for, but he was wiggling his toes in anticipation.

" **I have a serious dilemma, can you help me out?** " Taemin sent, out of the blue.

Jongin's eyebrows rose in surprise, but he agreed immediately.

" **I can try. Tell me.** "

" **I want a tea, but I can't choose between a cup of Genmaicha or a Chai... What to do, Jongin?! What to dooo?** "

Taemin sent a crying emoji that got Jongin to snicker. Somehow he could exactly picture the man putting up a dramatic pout.

" **Genmaicha is your favorite and you know I find Chai nasty... so it seems pretty easy to me.** "

" **Genmaicha it is, then. Thank you~** "

Jongin shook his head with a fond smile, and scrunched his nose. Talking to Taemin was becoming easier and it made him feel so incredibly warm.

" **I want a tea too, now. Aaah. What a bother.** "

" **ehehehehe 6v6 why is it a bother?** "

" **Because I'm still in bed and I don't want to move. It's comfy in there.** "

Taemin didn't answer immediately, and Jongin thought he might be busy. Probably preparing his tea.

But Taemin was standing still in his kitchen, not even paying attention to the fact that the water in his kettle had finished to boil. He was picturing Jongin lazily laying in bed and his breathing got shaky.

" **Oh my god, Kim Jongin, stop flirting with me!!** "

Jongin blinked few times at the screen, rereading what he just wrote and frowned. He wasn't sure he understood what happened.

" **Uh? What do you mean?** "

" **Imagining you in your bed right now, waking up, makes me weak... (also, I was kidding! please flirt with me!!)** "

Taemin sent another sticker of a cute bunny blushing like crazy. And Jongin's heart bounced in his ribcage. He let out a low laugh, and nibbled at his bottom lip before finally getting enough courage to click the camera.

Taemin's jaw fell on his chest when he opened the glorious picture Jongin just sent him, as if it was no big deal. But it was. It was a very big deal to Taemin. Because it was the first selfie he ever got, and because Jongin looked so unfairly godlike that he wanted to scream. Instead he fell on his chair, took a long inhale, and stared at said picture a bit more.

Jongin's face still looked swollen from sleep and that made his lips even more pouty than usual. His bed head was so adorable, Taemin could feel his heart clench. And he seriously wondered if his half-lidded eyes were due to his drowsiness or if Jongin gave him that look on purpose. He wasn't sure what was worse; for Jongin to naturally look this good, or for him to deliberately try to give Taemin a heart attack.

Taemin kept blinking at the picture and he tried to remember that that boy had wanted to kiss him the previous evening. And he sent a heart in response. Before he could think more and find something smart and thoughtful to write, he sent another heart. Then another one. Then a dozen more.

Jongin laughed as he saw the conversation getting invaded by hearts and he rolled on his stomach, pressing his red face against his pillow.

They exchanged texts until Jongin managed to get up to make himself a cup of tea and Taemin had to go to work. As he sat in front on some late breakfast, Jongin couldn't help but go through their little chat again, amazed by the sudden ease with which he had managed to talk to his crush. It was feeling so natural to get teased by Taemin, and so pleasant to flirt back.

 

A routine quickly came to them. They texted each other good morning, and good night, and every random thoughts and questions they had during the day, until Jongin found himself glued to his phone whenever he wasn't working or sleeping, and Chanyeol mocked him a lot for that.

"It is funny...," Chanyeol once snickered.

"What is?" Jongin asked, barely looking up from his current chat with Taemin.

Taemin was telling him about this friend of his who was very much into displays of affection, and how much he didn't really like it. So he was constantly pushing him away, and apparently, said friend had been bothering him all afternoon.

"I still remember a Jongin who constantly lost his phone and always forgot to charge it properly and who would take three days to answer to a text. This person disappeared from the surface of the Earth apparently."

Jongin straightened up to look at him, then frowned, and pulled out his tongue at his best friend's face.

"A very mature answer, as always," Chanyeol continued.

Jongin ignored him, and typed back to Taemin because he was worried about this whole thing of him not liking intimate touches. He often dreamed about cuddling Taemin in bed all morning and he would be very sad to see his little utopia getting crushed.

"I guess it is just like all those times where I assured you that you looked good in glasses and you never listened to me... but of course the moment Lee Taemin says the exact same thing, suddenly you accept it," Chanyeol went on with a whining voice. "All the things you never did for me, but do for him."

Jongin stopped at that and stared at his best friend with one eyebrow raised.

"You should make peace about that soon, Park. There are a lot of things I want to do for Taemin that I'm never gonna do for you."

Chanyeol burst out laughing, and Jongin wondered what was so funny about what he just said. Until Chanyeol gave him that sneaky glare of his as he wiggled his eyebrows in a way that was anything but subtle.

"I bet there are," Chanyeol gurgled.

"Park Chanyeol!" Jongin screeched as he threw a pillow at his face, his cheeks growing a deep shade of carmine. "You're such an idiot, I swear."

He grumbled inaudibly as Chanyeol nudged his knee with a sneer.

"Jongin..."

"What?" Jongin snapped with a pout.

"I won't get jealous if you kiss him, I promise."

"I'm gonna punch you."

"You can even cuddle him and touch his butt."

"Chanyeol," Jongin breathed out in a threatening low growl.

"But," Chanyeol solemnly said as he raised one hand high above his head, "you have to promise he won't get to use the Iron Man bowl. That's ours. That's our thing. It is holy. He cannot touch our thing."

Jongin rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Are you done?" he muttered.

"Do you promise?"

"Yes, I promise."

"Then, I'm done."

Jongin was about to go back to texting Taemin, but he stopped himself to push Chanyeol's shoulder.

"I wouldn't have let him near our Iron Man bowl anyway. He's super clumsy. He would break it."

Chanyeol cackled and finally went back to his video game.

" **You're really gonna make me say it, aren't you?** "

Jongin looked curiously at Taemin's last text.

" **Say what?** " he asked.

" **I don't really like it when my friends get all touchy. But I'm not planning to be friends with you.** "

Jongin's expression turned sly; a low sneaky laugh escaping his lips.

" **... so I can get all touchy with you?** "

" **Look at you being greedy again 6v6** "

" **I'm a bit of a cuddler and you always look so soft I refuse to be blamed.** "

Taemin dropped his phone on his couch to grip at his own cheeks, his eyes squeezing shut. He was trying his hardest every damn minute to not fall too hard for Kim Jongin, and the man was really making it difficult when he was being so smooth.

" **… sweet talker.** " He typed with a pout.

Jongin had the nerves to answer that with a damn heart emoticon. He sent him a heart, and Taemin wanted to see him and kiss him to oblivion.

He had only wanted to tease Jongin at first. It was true that he didn't exactly appreciate his friends getting too close, and Minho could get quite invasive sometimes, but he had wanted to snuggle Jongin's chest the minute he first saw him. And now he was feeling quite stupid because he didn't know how to admit that, if he even should, and he really wanted to see Jongin so much it was painful. And the idea of Jongin wanting to cuddle him was making him warm.

" **Ah, I miss you.** "

" **Really? You do? I do too! I miss you a lot!** "

Jongin's eagerness in his answer was endearing and Taemin whimpered.

It had been almost a week since their date, since the last time they saw each other, and Taemin was very upset.

" **Can I come see you at the shop until we define a day for our second date?** " Jongin texted.

" **Of course you can, silly. I'm waiting for you all the time.** "

Jongin replied with a picture of himself smiling widely, too close to the camera, and Taemin saved it immediately.

" **And hug me at the first opportunity you see.** " Taemin sent.

 

Jongin went to the tea shop on Wednesday. He hadn't pondered that much about it, for once, because he craved to see Taemin.

As soon as he had entered, he had been assaulted by the blinding smile of his crush. They had shyly greeted each other, and Taemin was staring at him. His eyes traveled up and down Jongin's silhouette with a repressed longing and he crossed his fingers on his counter, as if he was struggling to not reach out to him.

"How are you doing?" Jongin asked, completely oblivious to the yearning on Taemin's face.

"Great," Taemin answered, "and you?"

Jongin approached, stopping when his knees bumped against the counter, and smiled as his eyes fell on Taemin's hands.

"Me too," he said, absentmindedly.

Their fingers touched. Jongin caressed his palm and played with his hand, intertwining their fingers together. Taemin's hand was so small in his, it was adorable.

"Are you free on Sunday afternoon?" Taemin suddenly asked.

Jongin looked up in surprise, and nodded with a soft smile.

"Yes, I do. Why?"

"I had planned to text you about it after work, actually," Taemin laughed. "I can get Adam and Eve on Sunday. My mother will be in town so she can pick them back up around four in the afternoon. If you're up for it, we could meet before."

Jongin squeezed Taemin's hand in his.

"I'm totally up for it."

"Good, " Taemin said as tilted his head a bit. "Do you know of a nice place where we could go?"

"There's a park near the Han River that I really like, and Monggu too."

The door opened behind Jongin, making the little bell ring to announce a new customer, and Taemin's eyes widened. As if he had forgotten where he even was. Jongin let go of his hand in a hurry and straightened up.

"I have to think a bit more, if you don't mind." he said a bit loudly as he feigned to be looking over Taemin's head to read some tea names.

It took Taemin a couple of seconds to realize Jongin was acting, and he blinked nervously as he tried to get on with it.

"Yes. Yes, of course. Take your time, Sir."

Then he turned to the new customer and bowed.

Jongin slowly moved to the side, as casually as he could manage, and pretended to be pondering over tea boxes and tea blends. He walked around, smelling the tea samples available around the shop, and Taemin followed his little performance from the corner of his eyes, an amused smirk tugging at his lips. After a few minutes, Jongin rolled his eyes, and winced at Taemin when the customer couldn't see him. Why was that man taking so long to decide which tea to buy? He was even making small talk to Taemin.

Taemin looked at him with big eyes and a pout when his customer was busy searching for his wallet and Jongin had to keep himself from laughing out loud.

When the man left at last, Taemin turned to Jongin with an exaggerated sigh.

"That was a close one," he whispered.

"Let's see each other in private after Sunday...," Jongin murmured.

"I agree to that."

Jongin was back against the counter already, staring into Taemin's eyes as if he wanted to drown in them.

"What kind of movies do you like?" Jongin wondered.

That took Taemin by surprise.

"Where is that coming from, all of a sudden?"

Jongin gave him a large smug grin.

"I'm starting to think about what to pick for our movie night, once I will have gained Adam's affection."

Taemin shook his head and laughed. He was still looking fondly at Jongin.

"You're cute when you're so confident. Why weren't you so bold when you were trying to gain my affection?"

"You're a lot more intimidating than your puppy."

"You obviously haven't met him yet to be so naive," Taemin exclaimed. "Anyway, I love horror movies."

Jongin couldn't help the slight mix of disappointment and apprehension on his face as he heard that. He wasn't one for horror movies. At all. Not even with a lot of friends. Not even if Chanyeol promised they would share a bed afterwards. And somehow, he hadn't pictured Taemin liking that kind of movies. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but not horror movies.

Yet, it was a bit thrilling to remember there were so many things he still didn't know about Taemin.

"Oh," he simply said.

And Taemin laughed again.

"I take it that horror movies aren't your cup of tea?"

"Yeah, not really...," Jongin murmured with a pout. "I guess-... I mean if you really want to watch one, it's okay."

Taemin reached out to poke his nose.

"I said you could choose the movie. I don't want you to force yourself into watching something you really don't enjoy. So what's your kind of movies? Besides the Avengers."

"Well, I like adventures and action movies. And fantastic stuff too. Like, I adore Lord of the Rings but I'm also all about Lethal Weapon. My favorite movie is Pirates of the Caribbean."

"I haven't watched it," Taemin sing-songed.

That made Jongin freeze on his spot as he widened his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I haven't watched that Pirates thing," Taemin laughed.

But then he saw Jongin's face go white and his laughter died in his throat.

"You mean you haven't watched it in the past few weeks or you haven't watched it... like... ever?"

Taemin pinched his lips, surprised and confused. The way Jongin was staring at him was starting to make him feel nervous. As if he was the pitiful victim of a terrible tragedy.

"I've never watched it. I'm sorry?"

Jongin wiggled on his feet with an eager sparkle in his eyes.

"Do you want to watch it? Can I show it to you? You're gonna love it. I've never met anyone who didn't like POTC. It's impossible not to like it. Please," he hastily blabbered.

"If it's that important to you, I'm willing to give it a try," Taemin agreed.

Jongin's face lightened up.

"I really have to make Adam like me then. I can't believe you've never watched POTC. It's only the best movie ever."

"But," Taemin began.

And Jongin stopped his stammering to look at him curiously.

"If we watch your favorite movie ever, to quote you, it means I will have to be attentive to it."

"Well, yeah...," Jongin frowned. "I mean, I'm always attentive when I watch a movie. Aren't you?"

"Usually yes," Taemin whispered, "but being attentive means we can't make out."

Taemin's face was serious, but there was a sinful spark shining in his eyes. And Jongin gasped.

He hadn't thought of that in the least. How could he have not think about making out with Taemin; it was beyond any logic. But here he was, now forced to choose between showing the masterpiece that was his favorite movie to his crush who had never seen it (it was still hard to believe) or kissing passionately said pretty boy.

"Did I lose you in that struggle?" Taemin snickered.

"I don't know what to do," Jongin whined with a pout. "I want to watch Pirates with you. But if you offer some making out how can I possibly not want it. You don't know how badly I want to kiss you already."

Taemin blushed at the sudden honest confession.

"Oh damn," he snorted. "Well then. We'll find some way, won't we? We'll just have to make out after the movie."

"It's only two hours and twelve minutes long anyway," Jongin breathed out.

"I'm sure we'll manage."

"Yeah," Jongin said, and his voice sounded anything but certain.

"But first, you'll have to get Adam's approbation."

Jongin closed his eyes in defeat.

"Why are there always so many obstacles between your lips and mine?"

Taemin leaned closer to him with a sly look, a smile blooming on that tempting mouth.

"Only to make them sweeter," he hummed, and his voice sounded full of promises.

.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone,
> 
> A small chapter for your weekly dose of Taekai fluff ♥  
> I hope you enjoyed this sweet flirt & please, look forward to the next chapter to meet Adam & Eve! (๑>ᴗ<๑) I will do my best to post next week, but I'm very busy with work lately, so I could end up late.
> 
> Today's tea is “Hyeonmi-nokcha”. It's the brown rice green tea that Taemin (& I) love very much! You might know the japanese blend called “Genmaicha” (or at least, you should find some Genmaicha in your tea shop more easily). They really are almost the same & I personally love that the roasted rice makes it taste a bit like popcorn. I love that it's not too sweet and goes really well with lots of meals...
> 
> Take care of you and have a good end of the week.


	8. Macaron Cassis Violette

.

Jongin was sitting on stone stairs in the shade, while Monggu was trotting around him joyfully, going up and down the steps. They were waiting for Taemin, Adam, and Eve. Jongin hadn't been able to stop himself from smiling since he woke up that day, realizing he was about to see Taemin again and spend the whole afternoon with him. They had agreed to meet around 1 pm, so they would have three hours of playing around in the park with their puppies, and Jongin had arrived a bit too early. He had been waiting for 10 minutes already and he was starting to regret putting on his light jeans as the weather was especially warm that day and his legs felt like potatoes in an oven. He should have gone with some shorts.

Monggu kept jumping next to him, while Jongin was lost in thoughts, frowning at his knees. His dog climbed his legs, sniffed at his arm, walked on his feet, and barked. Jongin shook his head and looked at him with a smile, asking him what the matter was. Monggu was turned away from him, wiggling his tail and jiggling further. As he followed his gaze, Jongin found two dogs that looked a little bit familiar. He heard a laugh and rose his head to stare at Taemin, who was slowly making his way to him.

Jongin wondered if a day would come when he would look at Taemin and not feel like air had been knocked out of his lungs all of a sudden. He hoped there wouldn't. The way his heart was racing at the mere sight of Taemin was making him happy.

He felt something brush his ankle, and his eyes fell on Eve, who was sniffing him like his life depended on it.

"Hey there," Jongin said gently to the dog, reaching his hand to pet him.

Eve looked at him, smelled his hand, yelped, and dived closer. In one second of time, Jongin was assaulted by the puppy, who jumped on him and rubbed himself against his chest, making him laugh loudly.

"Against all odds, Eve likes you," Taemin said ironically with a grin.

"I think so," Jongin answered cheekily. "I guess it means you can get attached to me."

Taemin rolled his eyes but said nothing as he squatted down to greet Monggu, who was very busy turning in circles with Adam to smell each other's butt curiously. In the end, Taemin seemed more interesting to Jongin's poodle than Adam, because he gave up on the dog quite quickly to sniff the human's face.

"Am I accepted too?" Taemin laughed, hugging the poodle loosely as Monggu was trying to climb him.

"Well," Jongin answered. "I actually had a talk with Monggu yesterday, and explained to him that he just had to like you, otherwise we'd be in troubles because I'm very attached already. As you can see, my poodle is no traitor."

Taemin sniggered at that and lowered his head, trying to hide his goofy smile. He reached out with one arm, stroking Eve's fur, the dog still wiggling on Jongin's lap. He stopped his hand on top on Jongin's and hugged his fingers gently.

"Hey," he murmured as a greeting.

Jongin gripped his hand back with a smile.

"Hey."

"Have you been waiting for long?"

"I was a bit early," Jongin admitted with a sheepish smile.

People passed nearby and Taemin let go of Jongin's hand, straightening up and tightening his hold on Adam and Eve's leashes.

"Should we go?"

"Yeah."

Jongin got up and they entered the park together, walking close to each other. Their arms were brushing from time to time and it was enough to get Jongin to smile.

Taemin started to tell him about the moment his mother had brought Adam and Eve to him, and how Eve had apparently put on a bit of weight lately. As they walked under trees and upon small bridges over the river running through the park, they soon shared stories of the worst shenanigans their dogs had ever made. Jongin told Taemin about the terrible toilet paper diet Monggu went on for a while, and the dead mouses brought to him; and Taemin told Jongin everything about the time Adam broke the toilet seat at his parent's place and how Eve destroyed his mother's favorite tea set. The last one had been a true tragedy that his mother still hadn't forgiven, months later.

At some point, they found themselves sitting on grass, facing each other as the three dogs were playing around, chasing butterflies and climbing their two humans. Eve had dropped himself on Jongin's lap and was waiting to get petted, as Taemin tentatively spoke about his parents.

"I'm still close to them, but it's... different," he said quietly. "I came out to them and my brother four years ago, but I think they're still waiting for me to tell them I'm not gay anymore. They were never aggressive to me, they didn't yell or threaten me... which I should be grateful for, I suppose... but I know my mother is still sad over it, like she had lost something you know. My brother was a bit weird about it at first and I think my sister-in-law actually helped a lot. I told you she was great, and I think I owe her one on that, because he's been a lot more open-minded since he's with her."

"I'm sorry," Jongin whispered, "I mean... that you don't feel completely accepted."

Taemin shrugged and gave him a smile, but it wasn't as bright as usual, and it made Jongin frown.

"They're still good parents. I could go back to them for anything at anytime, so I don't complain that much. I think it could have been much worse. And I have really great friends who support me."

He sighed and his eyes left Jongin's face to look at his own feet as he bit his lips.

"It's just-," he continued, "if you don't mind, I'll go meet my mother alone when she'll stop by to pick Adam and Eve."

"Yes, of course," Jongin nodded eagerly.

Taemin's expression relaxed with relief.

"I don't want you to feel left out, but we're just at the beginning together, and-... well, I don't want to pressure you into meeting my mother. And I don't want to ambush her like that either so yeah..."

"Please, you don't have to justify yourself or anything. I really understand."

"Thank you."

Jongin nudged Taemin's knee with his own in a gentle touch.

"We can talk about funnier stuff now," Taemin said with a pout. "I didn't mean to drop the mood."

"You didn't. We can talk about anything and everything you want; and if you need to share some not-so-happy things too, I'll listen to you."

Taemin finally gave him a genuine smile, and the sight made Jongin want to kiss him.

"You're sweet."

Monggu chose that moment to come back to Jongin, and jumped at him, making Eve fall over. The two dogs sniffed at each other before they started to run in circles around Jongin, squeezing his thighs and calves under their paws.

"Hey!" Jongin complained. "Don't play hide-and-seek on me, you two."

As he tried to separate the two dogs, he heard Taemin snicker at his misery. He held Eve in one arm, but the dog kept wiggling, trying to get away, as Jongin attempted to push Monggu on the side. Monggu jumped on him as he tried to get to Eve and Jongin fell over with a huff.

And Taemin burst out laughing.

"I'm positively assaulted and you're laughing at me!"

"I'm so _not_ sorry for you right now."

"You're mean," Jongin whined.

"You're cute," Taemin answered promptly.

Jongin scrunched his nose at that, feeling his cheeks warm up. His heart always missed a beat each and every time Taemin threw a compliment his way.

Monggu and Eve exchanged a few barks at each other before trotting away to the spot behind Taemin's back, where Adam was lazily resting. And Jongin sat up, tousling his hair to try to get the grass out of it. Taemin moved from his seat to squat in front of him as he picked a leaf from the top of his head with another slight giggle.

"Do you want something to drink after that exhausting fight for your life?" he teased with that pretty smile of his. "I could quickly go get us something while you watch over the three little devils."

Jongin blinked and nodded. Taemin's face was very close to his all of a sudden and he forgot how to breathe.

"What do you want?" Taemin asked.

It took Jongin a few seconds to connect the dots and get that Taemin was asking him what he wanted to drink.

"Anything cold."

Taemin laughed again.

"Okay, I'll be right back. Don't let them boss you around."

Taemin got up and winked at him before he went away to a little booth selling drinks and snacks. Jongin sighed deeply and turned to the dogs rolling on the grass.

"I really want to kiss him," he grumbled with a frown.

He crawled his way to the dogs and stopped in front of Adam. The puppy yelped and turned his snout to him with such a gloomy look that Jongin swallowed hard.

"You do look intimating, you know?" Jongin sighed. "But you're still very adorable. And I'm a human who loves dogs. Can we be friends, please? Can you like me just a tiny bit?"

He held out his hand tentatively for Adam to smell, but the puppy ignored him altogether, and Jongin frowned.

"Come on Adam," he whispered. "I just want to love you."

Adam sighed as he closed his eyes, moving his head to the sun again. Jongin clicked his tongue and stroked his fur very softly. When the dog made no move to dodge or bite him, he tried to scratch his head.

"There," Jongin smiled. "Good boy."

Adam wiggled under his hand and let out another tiny sigh before he got up and moved away. Jongin watched him plop back on the ground a few centimeters away from him, and he couldn't help the sad pout on his face.

"But we were making some progress...," he whined.

"That's what he likes to make you think," came Taemin's teasing voice.

Jongin's eyes widened a bit and he turned around to be met with a can of iced tea extended his way. He grabbed it and Taemin sat back next to him, playfully nudging his arm.

"Thanks," Jongin murmured.

"Why are you sulking?"

Jongin bit his bottom lip and stole a glance at the rude little ball of fluff neglecting him.

"I think your dog dislikes me."

"You think?" Taemin laughed.

Jongin let out an annoyed little sound and his pout deepened.

"Ah, don't be so surprised, I told you he was difficult," Taemin sing-songed.

"But it's the first time a dog doesn't like me. I'm bad with human beings, but usually dogs love me. I feel rejected."

As if on cue to make things worse, Adam suddenly got up and made his way to Taemin to sit next to him with a hint of cockiness. Taemin snickered at that and poked at his puppy's snout with a fond smile.

"I know he seems like a handle," Taemin said softly, "but he only needs time. If you're patient, he'll grow to like you."

Jongin's little sullen look instantly disappeared as he watched the very gentle bond between Taemin and his precious puppy.

"He really has a strong personality," Taemin continued, "so he seems kind of arrogant. The truth is, he just likes to do things his way. Sometimes it's a bother, but he can also be a real sweetheart. He's the best with Eve. I've got him for over a year now, and he still doesn't really come to be petted. But sometimes he asks to play around, or he'll come next to me like this and pet me with his paw and I think it's just his way of showing he likes me."

Taemin straightened up to smile at Jongin and blinked a few times with surprise when he noticed the tenderness with which the man was looking back at him.

"Anyway, just be patient and don't push him, okay? He'll definitely come to you."

"Okay," Jongin answered with a nod.

"Besides, he might not adore you yet, but I do."

Jongin choked on his drink and coughed, small droplets of iced tea landing on his hand and shirt. Taemin was looking at him with that evil, mischievous smile of his again. Before Jongin could recover all his respiratory functions, his crush assassinated him a bit more.

"Jongin-ah, I really want a movie night with you. Will you still come to my place and show me your favorite movie, even if Adam is being uncooperative?"

Jongin's jaw fell open and he nodded absentmindedly. His mind was screaming, both at the prospect of going to Taemin's place to watch a movie for real, and because of how gorgeous Taemin was looking right in that moment with that sly grin.

Taemin sneered and closed Jongin's mouth with one finger pushing his chin back up. Then he turned his head away and drank from his can.

Jongin's skin was tingling and his brain had gone haywire. He could feel his cheeks heat up and still he wasn't able to think about anything to answer to Taemin's boldness.

"Are you still with me?" Taemin chuckled.

"I don't know what to say to not make a fool out of myself," Jongin breathed out with a frown.

His answer triggered Taemin's laugh even more.

"You're so adorable without even trying," Taemin sighed.

Jongin hid his eyes behind one of his hand with a smile, and breathed deeply.

"Please don't flirt so much when we're in public. I'm going crazy," he muttered.

"Ah, is it very difficult not to kiss me?" Taemin playfully asked, leaning even closer to Jongin.

"Yes, it is."

Taemin laughed and bumped their shoulders together.

"Then how about an indirect kiss?"

Jongin looked up with a confused pout, and watched Taemin take his can out of his hand to drink from it.

"There you go," Taemin chirped.

Jongin's eyes went from his can, to Taemin's lips, then back to his can, and he whined.

"You're killing me."

"I was only thirsty," Taemin denied with an angelic flutter of his eyelashes.

Jongin sighed loudly, glancing at him with a roll of his eyes.

"You look anything but innocent, I hope you know that."

"No but really," Taemin finally said with another blinding smile, and mischief had finally left his face. "I couldn't choose which tea to get, when I bought them. So I took two different and thought we could share."

He brought his can higher in the air to show Jongin that he did buy two different drinks.

"I thought you wouldn't mind. You got a bit of my tea last time too."

Everything about Taemin was lethal. How he could go from teasing Jongin to the point that he just wanted to jump at him to kiss him, to being so precious that Jongin's heart was melting to a shameful little puddle of goo.

"It's okay", he croaked. "I don't mind."

Taemin looked satisfied, and he extended his mango green tea to him.

"So, wanna try?"

Jongin took it and drank, trying hard not to think back on Taemin's comment about it being an indirect kiss.

"It makes me think," Taemin mused, "we should receive some more seasonal blends soon at the shop. I ordered some white tea with yellow fruits that I think you'll like."

Jongin blinked and tilted his head a bit.

"Did you make an order just for me?"

He had expected Taemin to snort and refute, but the man blushed a bit, looking away.

"Maybe. I saw it in the catalog and I thought of you. I'm sure it will sell well anyway, so it shouldn't be a problem."

For some reason, imagining Taemin working and thinking of him so randomly made the whole world brighter to Jongin's eyes.

"I also have a tea for you," Jongin admitted with a scrunch of his nose.

"You do?" Taemin asked with curiosity.

"We made another swap with Kyungsoo and he sent me a tea from that brand, Dammann. It's a green tea with almond, violets and blackcurrant. I tasted it and-... I don't know, I thought you'd like it a lot. It tastes like biscuits. You really have to try it."

Taemin's eyes were shining with happiness and interest.

"It does sound delightful."

"I have the box at home," Jongin said with a smile.

"Are you trying to lure me inside your house, Kim Jongin?"

It was back. That tempting smile at the corners of Taemin's lips and Jongin realized just what his words must have sounded like. He was about to back away, but stopped himself and squinted his eyes at Taemin's ever flirtatious face.

"Would-... would it work?" he stuttered.

"Mmhm," Taemin pondered. "It might."

Jongin's heart was hammering inside his chest and his throat went dry.

"Then hum-... if you have time... I mean-... if you want to, we could-... we-... we could go to my place, after your mother comes to pick up Adam and Eve."

"And you'll make me a cup of that tea?"

"Yes. I will."

Taemin's fingers gently tapped against the can on his lap as his smile stretched.

"Then yes, I'll come."

"Cool. I mean-... good. Or I don't know. That's-... I'll shut up now," Jongin mumbled.

His heart tried to claw its way up his throat when he felt the slight stroke of Taemin's hand on one of his thigh. It was faint, but there.

"Don't be so nervous," Taemin gently said.

Jongin wanted to protest that he couldn't help it, because he just liked Taemin so much and suddenly inviting him in his house was nerve-wracking. First, because he couldn't remember if his house looked decent enough and if he hadn't left any underwear in the living room. Second, because his house meant intimacy and his brain now couldn't stop thinking about the high probability of them kissing once they'll get there.

But Taemin continued to speak in that soft, calming tone.

"I like teasing you because you're so cute when you're flustered, but I don't want you to be this anxious."

"I'm really not used to all of this," Jongin admitted. "I'm a bit scared of screwing something up."

"You won't," Taemin simply answered.

Just like that, Jongin relaxed a bit. He let out a deep breath and offered a shaky smile to Taemin.

That's the moment Monggu chose to make a comeback and wiggle his way to them.

"Should we play some fetch to tire them out a bit and give them a good time?" Taemin smiled tilting his head towards the dogs.

Jongin nodded, and Taemin got up, calling the three dogs to him while clapping his hands together. He squatted on the ground to pick some nice wood sticks and Jongin looked at him, feeling so much warmness towards him that his heart was about to explode. Taemin was gorgeous, and his laugh was the cutest thing Jongin had ever heard; he was running, the three dogs hopping around him and barking in eagerness. As Taemin threw the first stick away, Adam, Eve and Monggu dived to get it and Jongin finally got up to run to that sunshine of a man.

 

It turned out that Eve was impossible to tire out. Monggu, much like his owner, eventually got sleepy and trotted to Taemin to be held as he continued to watch Adam and Eve run after every single stick Jongin was throwing at them, over and over again. Adam was going slower than in the beginning, but Eve was the exact same ball of energy as forty minutes ago.

Taemin ultimately put Monggu back on the ground, much to the dog's dismay if his little yelp was any indication, and made his way to Jongin.

"Jongin, it's time already," he called out.

Adam and Eve must have sensed that Taemin was about to stop their fun, because they barked and ran faster around Jongin with demanding eyes that broke the man's heart. Jongin squatted to the ground and Eve pawed at his knees, licking his cheek.

"Oh," Jongin sighed. "I'm gonna miss you too, buddy."

Taemin stayed silent as he watched the two of them cuddle and say goodbye, but his heart was swelling at the sight. He kneeled to get his leash back on Adam's collar, and turned to Jongin and Eve.

"I have to meet my mother at the East entrance. She'll probably want to talk a little, but I'll try to make it short and come back to you quickly."

"It's okay, you can take some time to talk to your mother," Jongin smiled.

Taemin pouted and put his leash to Eve too.

"I'll just try to be back soon," he insisted.

Jongin nodded and picked Monggu in his arms to not make it more difficult for Taemin to take his dogs away.

"I'll wait for you here."

"Okay."

Jongin sat back on the ground, still holding Monggu close to him as he watched Taemin go away, Adam walking close to him while Eve kept looking back at them curiously. When they finally turned and went out of view, Jongin loosened his hold on his dog, but Monggu stayed right there, cuddling his chest.

"So," Jongin asked with a smile. "What do you think of him?"

Moongu didn't move and Jongin came to scratch his head, making him breathe loudly.

"Don't try to pretend. I know you like him too."

Monggu huffed and Jongin bent to hide his face in his dog's fur.

"I like him so much," he whispered.

 

It took twenty minutes for Taemin to come back, and Jongin had been trying his best to not get worried and busy himself by playing some more with his tired poodle. When Taemin finally appeared further away, Jongin got up, dusting his clothes to get rid of any grass, and smiled at him.

"Sorry for making you wait that long," Taemin winced at soon as they were close enough to talk.

"Don't worry about it."

Taemin smiled at him, but it didn't quite reach his eyes, and Jongin frowned.

"Are you alright?"

Taemin sighed and rubbed his hands on his face with a nod.

"Yeah, sorry I'm just-... I'm always sad when I have to part with them."

Jongin squeezed his arm lightly to give him some comfort. He wished he could hug him tight, but he figured it would have to wait a bit more.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Well, a cup of that biscuit-flavored tea you spoke about would be very welcome," Taemin answered with a shaky laugh.

"Let's get going then."

They walked side to side and Taemin shifted closer, just enough for their arms to brush against each other again. The way to Jongin's shared apartment with Chanyeol wasn't that long, but Monggu had been playing so actively all afternoon that Taemin ended up carrying him half the way. Jongin let him do when he realized that holding his poodle wasn't a bother, but instead seemed to help bring Taemin's smile back.

When they arrived in front of his building, Jongin started to feel nervous again, and he forced himself into deep breaths.

"I hope the flat isn't too much of a mess," he whispered as they entered the elevator. "I'm sorry, I invited you all of a sudden and I can't remember if it's decent in there or not."

"You want me to wait for a minute outside, so you can check beforehand?" Taemin proposed.

"You wouldn't mind?"

"Not at all."

Jongin thanked him in a low whisper and as they stopped in front of a door, Taemin put Monggu back on the ground and took two steps to the side with a grin.

"Let me know when I can come in."

Jongin nodded eagerly and opened the door. Monggu immediately dived in and huffed around, turning in circles before he hopped on his little basket next to the couch with a sigh. Meanwhile Jongin promptly took his shoes off and inspected the living room in a hurry; he rushed to the kitchen, making sure everything was in order, and couldn't help but smile when he realized Chanyeol had actually cleaned the dishes before going away for his afternoon of video games with Baekhyun. Everything was alright. The floor was clean and there was no shameful sock or dirty plate laying around. He hurried back to the entrance and popped his head in the corridor.

"You can come in."

Taemin looked up from his phone and followed him with a smile. He left his shoes next to Jongin's and entered the living room, his mouth opening in surprise. He turned around, looking at the nice and cosy place that Chanyeol and Jongin had accommodated.

"So hum... this is the living room," Jongin said with an awkward smile, before moving around. "Here is the kitchen."

Taemin came after him, looking at everything with round eyes.

"It's so big," he whispered.

"Yeah," Jongin answered with a shy pout. "We're quite comfortable in there."

"I mean, I think my whole apartment could just be put in your living room."

Jongin bit his lips, unsure of what to answer to that, but Taemin's face suddenly brightened up.

"I see your little tea shelf."

"Ah, yes, should I make you a cup of tea now?"

"Can I finish the tour first?" Taemin asked slyly. "I'm kind of curious about your bedroom."

"Oh, yeah, of course."

Taemin gave him a cheeky grin and continued to follow him around as Jongin entered the narrow hallway leading to the three last rooms.

"So here is the bathroom, and toilet if you need," he said, pointing to the right. "And down there is Chanyeol's room."

"Is he home?" Taemin suddenly asked.

"No, he's at a friend's."

Taemin nodded and turned to the very last door, on the left, with sparkling eyes.

"So... may I?"

"Be my guest."

Jongin's room was small, and spotless. Taemin had half-expected a little bit of mess here and there, just like in his own place, but everything was in order. He saw a desk, neatly organized, with a small succulent on the side, and a few shelves on the wall, filled with books. He felt Jongin walk past him and to his bed, and looked curiously as the man tapped against his pillow nervously.

"What's going on?" Taemin asked.

Jongin straightened up and looked at him with pink tinted cheeks. If Taemin hadn't been suspicious at all a few seconds ago, he definitely was now, and so he approached, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"Nothing," Jongin squeaked. "I was just making the bed correctly."

"It seemed very correct to me already. What are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding anything!"

Taemin stopped right in front of him and pleated his eyes at the man.

"You're a liar," he sing-songed. "And a very bad one."

"No," Jongin insisted stubbornly.

"Then, you won't mind if I look behind your pillow, will you?"

"Please, don't," Jongin muttered with a wince.

Taemin chuckled and pressed his index against Jongin's nose.

"Tell me, what is it...? Some dirty underwear? Some porn magazine? Is it a sex toy?"

Jongin pouted and rubbed at his neck.

"It isn't vulgar," he defended himself. "It's just... ah please, can you forget about it?"

Taemin bit his bottom lip and Jongin could see the struggle in his eyes, darting from his pillow to him. Like he really wanted to satisfy his curiosity, but he didn't want to push Jongin out of his comfort zone. Finally he pouted.

"I shouldn't push you on your little secrets, right?" Taemin sighed reluctantly. "After all I'm visiting your home already. It's personal. It's okay. You can have your privacy."

Jongin closed his eyes in defeat with a little whine, because Taemin's pout was the one thing he knew he would never be able to resist and all of this was stupid. Taemin's sulky tone was making him weak.

"It's just a plush," he moaned. "I have a teddy bear. Ah, why do you have to be so pretty that I can't say no to you."

When he opened his eyes again, he was met with Taemin's brightest smile and shining eyes.

"A teddy bear?" he asked with the voice of a kid who had just been told Christmas would come early this year.

Jongin let himself fall on his bed as he retrieved his very old brown little plushy bear from under his pillow to show him to Taemin.

"Oh dear," Taemin squeaked, feeling the plush between his fingers as Jongin held it out for him.

He couldn't help the laugh that escaped his lips as he sat next to him.

"Don't laugh," Jongin sulked.

"You keep surprising me, I swear. So you sleep with your teddy bear...?"

"Well, I'm vulnerable when I sleep, okay?" Jongin explained, very seriously. "Someone gotta be there to fight the monsters because I'm a heavy sleeper."

Taemin pressed his two hands against his mouth to hold his laughter in.

"What's his name?" he managed to ask.

Jongin gave him a suspicious look, before he mumbled.

"Gomini. I have him since forever."

Jongin fondly put his plush back against the pillow, at his usual perfect spot, before he managed to gather enough courage to look up at his crush sitting next to him. Taemin was looking back at him with something on his face that Jongin couldn't quite understand, but it made him feel warm and important.

"I know it's pathetic for a grown-up man to sleep with a plush," Jongin started, but Taemin shushed him with a finger against his lips.

"It's not."

"But-..."

"I don't care if you sleep with a plush. I still find you charming in every possible way."

Jongin relaxed a bit next to him and Taemin gave another look around the room before his mouth twisted into a reflexive wince.

"That being said...," he mused aloud, "I have to admit that I thought you would have more books."

Jongin shrugged with a smile.

"I'm not really a materialist. I don't like to own a lot of stuff... So, I buy my books in second-hand stores, then I read them, and give them back. I only keep the important ones that I know I will read over and over and over again."

Taemin got up in a little jump and approached the shelves.

"I can see your 'Iliad'."

"Important ones," Jongin only repeated.

Taemin turned to him, his hands tied together behind his back.

"Can I have that cup of tea now?"

They went back to the kitchen and Jongin took his 'Macaron Cassis Violette' tea box from the shelf to let Taemin smell it. Then he proposed that they eat a little something while drinking that wonderful tea, and Taemin ended up choosing peaches and apples from the fruits basket, while Jongin took the watermelon out from the fridge. As he filled the kettle with water and waited for it to boil, Jongin glanced at the table where Taemin was very busy peeling apples and cutting them in nice quarters, before placing them on display in a large plate.

Taemin was truly focused on his very important task and he was taking great precautions for the fruits pieces to look inviting. The kettle finally stopped and quietness came back to the room as Jongin poured water into the mugs they had chosen. Then he went back to admire Taemin, who was now frowning as he cut through the watermelon.

"I want to kiss you," Jongin confessed.

There was a loud noise as the large knife Taemin had been holding met the wooden board violently, then a squeak, and a curse, and Jongin froze. Taemin turned to him with wide eyes and a scandalized expression.

"Kim Jongin! Are you insane?" Taemin exclaimed in a high pitched tone. "Don't say stuff like that when I have a damn knife in my hands I swear to all that is holy. You know that I'm clumsy, do you want me to lose a finger?"

Jongin bit his lips, struggling between his want to apologize, and the laughters bubbling in his chest.

"I'm sorry," he giggled.

"You don't sound sorry at all," Taemin complained with red cheeks and an angry frown.

He puffed his cheeks and turned back to his watermelon, his eyes nervously blinking.

"Because I do really want to kiss you," Jongin said.

"Please let me keep my fingers and finish this first. Also don't forget the tea or it will get ruined," Taemin mumbled.

Jongin jolted away from the counter he had been leaning on to turn back to the mugs and take the tea bags out of them.

"There. The tea is ready."

He made his way to Taemin with a smile, noticing that the man was following him up from the corner of his eyes. He stopped right behind him, one of his hand ghosting over Taemin's hip as he waited for him to put down his knife.

It was adorable, the way Taemin was acting as if he wasn't aware of what was happening, while his ears and neck kept growing redder.

"Can I hug you?" Jongin whispered when the knife was safely on the table and Taemin was setting down the pieces of watermelon on the plate.

Taemin's hands were trembling. He had been the one teasing Jongin to death for weeks, but now that they actually had privacy and that his crush was slowly making a move on him, he was a mess.

"Yes," he murmured.

He had barely answered that he felt Jongin's arms circling him and holding him tight. Jongin moved closer, pressing his chest against Taemin's back and rested his head in the crook of Taemin's neck. Then he sighed happily, as if he had been waiting for this for an eternity, and Taemin could feel his smile brushing his skin.

Jongin was warm and strong behind him and Taemin couldn't help the shaky intakes of breath he was taking. He tried to reach out for the towel laying on the table, to wipe his hands on it before he relaxed in the embrace.

"I... almost forgot how it felt," Taemin quietly murmured.

"Do you want me to stop?" Jongin asked gently.

He still remembered Taemin saying that he wasn't that much into skinship.

"No, please."

Jongin held him tighter. Taemin raised one of his hand into Jongin's hair, softly caressing his scalp before he squirmed in his arms to face him.

Their eyes met and Taemin was suddenly reminded of the first time he ever saw Jongin. When that lovely boy had entered his tea shop, with his gorgeous looks and shy pout, and how he had stolen Taemin's heart instantly with two stutters of that deep voice of his.

Taemin smiled and Jongin looked at him curiously. But when Taemin came closer, it didn't matter to Jongin anymore why he had that distant, dreamy look on his face.

He closed his eyes before their lips even met. His heart was hammering so wildly in his chest, it was a miracle that he was still standing on his two legs. Taemin settled his hands around Jongin's neck, and kissed him. It was soft, and slow, and Jongin sighed against Taemin's lips as their noses brushed against each other.

Maybe he was silly and too smitten with Taemin, but he felt like their mouths were a perfect match and he wished their kiss would never end. Taemin's plushy lips really were sweet, and Jongin tried to come even closer to his face.

It was too difficult to part and every time they needed air, they couldn't stay away for more than a few seconds before diving back to each other. Jongin's hands were roaming over Taemin's lower back; Taemin was nibbling and kissing and sucking Jongin's lips and it all felt far too good to stop as they pressed their bodies more intimately.

Taemin finally squeezed his thumb against Jongin's mouth as he gasped. Jongin still left a kiss on his finger before he looked at him. They stayed silent for a moment, Taemin's hands falling to rest against Jongin's chest.

Jongin came closer once again, but tilted his head to leave a kiss on the tip of Taemin's nose. Then on his chin. Then on one cheek, and his cheekbone, and Taemin started to laugh.

"What are you doing?" he said with a smile, and his voice cracked up a bit.

Jongin didn't answer, and continued leaving a myriad of kisses on his face, relishing in the way Taemin's smile couldn't stop growing. Then he pecked his lips once more.

"I like you a lot," Jongin whispered.

"I like you a lot too."

"Should we go drink that tea now, before it gets cold...?"

Taemin glanced at the two mugs waiting on the counter and he straightened his head to overcome their height difference.

"I think it can wait just a little bit more," he said.

And he kissed him again. Jongin forgot about the tea, the fruits, and everything that wasn't Taemin and the exquisite taste of his lips.

When they managed to part again, they were giggling, both too infatuated to care about how sappy they were as they waltzed to the living room with their snacks and drinks. They sat on the couch, as close as they could, Taemin tangled his legs with Jongin's and they ate in between light caresses of their limbs and breathtaking kisses.

Jongin's heart had probably tripled size in a few hours, and now that he was sitting on his couch, with Taemin in his arms babbling to him about the last TV show he watched, he felt so happy he couldn't describe it. His hands were lost on Taemin's body, one stroking his calf, the other caressing his hair, and he was both incredibly excited and calm beyond words. Like everything had finally fallen into place and he was right where he belonged.

The light was slowing decreasing in the apartment as the sun was setting down, and if that time, they noticed it, none of them cared. They had finished eating the last pieces of fruits long ago and the dirty dishes were forgotten on the coffee table as they still kissed lazily through their conversation like they had all the time in the world.

They barely registered the muffled sounds coming for the corridor or the door being opened.

"I'm home with chicken," Chanyeol yelled, and he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Jongin and Taemin jumping away from each other on the couch, looking slightly disoriented.

A creepy, wide smile bloomed on Chanyeol's lips and some acute, weird sound left his mouth.

"My, my, my...," he whistled. "I see you two were very busy while I was away. But please, don't stop on my behalf. You may continue sucking each other's face."

Taemin laughed, snuggling closer to Jongin to hide his face against his chest.

"We don't need your authorization, but thanks," Jongin snickered and Chanyeol wiggled his eyebrows at him.

For once, Jongin didn't get mad at him for it. Then Chanyeol came closer, extending one hand for Taemin to shake.

"Nice to meet you again, when I'm not undercover," Chanyeol said.

"Yeah," Taemin answered. "I've heard a lot about you since last time."

"Well, I heard a lot about you too, would you believe that. It seems like we have a chatty common friend."

Jongin rolled his eyes and pushed his best friend away when Chanyeol sat next to him.

"Don't start being a nuisance," he grumbled.

"Oh but come on, it's my job as a best friend to spill the tea. Ah! Spill the tea!"

Taemin chuckled behind one hand.

"You could also just be nice," Jongin tried.

"He's really good at embarrassing himself already, he doesn't exactly need you," Taemin said, his teasing grin back full force.

"I know right," Chanyeol barked with a loud laugh.

"Please don't team up against me," Jongin whined.

Taemin circled Jongin's hips loosely with his arms and left a kiss on his cheek.

"We wouldn't dare," he murmured.

Chanyeol coughed as the two men were starting to look at each other like lovesick puppies again, and got up to escape to the kitchen. He was unpacking the small groceries shopping he had done when he heard Jongin calling for him.

"You said there was chicken?"

Chanyeol snickered and answered loudly, still in front of the fridge.

"Yeah, I took some takeouts on my way back. If you behave, there should be enough for three."

Jongin turned to Taemin with a smile.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?"

Taemin opened his mouth, but before he could answer anything, Chanyeol's high-pitched tone resonated once more.

"Would you like to stay forever?"

Jongin closed his eyes with a sigh.

"Chanyeol," he threatened lowly.

Said best friend appeared back at the door leading to the kitchen with wide eyes.

"No, you don't get to be mad at me for this one because it was a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to quote Mulan and you know it."

He vanished back in the kitchen and closed the door behind him, as a signal to Jongin that this time, he would give them some privacy.

"Now I'm imagining the two of you having some Disney movies marathon."

"They are always Chanyeol's idea," Jongin coughed.

"Such a bad liar," Taemin sniggered.

He came closer to kiss Jongin's nose and stroke his cheeks.

"I'll get back home though."

Jongin hold him tight, rubbing his face on Taemin's collarbone with a sigh.

"Okay then. When can I see you again?"

Taemin hummed longly and left a trail of quick kisses on Jongin's scalp and neck.

"Are you free tomorrow night to watch Pirates of the Caribbean?"

A large grin bloomed on Jongin's mouth because Taemin wanted to see him on the next day already and it felt incredibly good. Maybe he wasn't the only one being head over heels.

"I'd really love to but I have an early shift on Tuesday," he answered. "I can come on Tuesday evening instead if that's okay."

"Won't you be too tired if you had to wake up early?" Taemin pouted.

"I can take a nap before meeting you."

"Then Tuesday it is."

They got up from the couch and went back to the entry. Jongin kept distracting Taemin from putting his shoes back by kissing him. It was a bit more urgent and bitter, because suddenly time mattered again.

"I'll come with you to the subway," Jongin whispered against his lips.

"No, please," Taemin huffed.

"Why not?"

Taemin kissed his pouty face and brushed his index on Jongin's offended frown.

"Because it's gonna be crowded again and I want to leave after kissing you. I don't want to say goodbye and not be able to hold you. Does it make sense?"

"Yes it does," Jongin said in a tight little voice.

"Then hold me tight and kiss me a lot before I go."

Jongin was weak to Taemin's commands, and he did just as he was told.

.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ♥ hey
> 
> Did you love Adam & Eve? Did you enjoy the fluff overload? I hope you had a good time reading this chapter & that it met all of your expectations ( ˘ ³˘)♥  
> Today's tea is another treasure from the french brand Dammann Frères. Let me tell you it really tastes like biscuits & it's super duper nice.
> 
> I hope you'll continue to look forward to the next chapter.  
> Have a nice week & take care of yourself.


	9. Prickly Pear

.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Jongin felt two arms embrace his waist tightly and a body press against his. Taemin hold him close, burying his face in Jongin's chest with a sigh.

"Hi," came Taemin's muffled voice, and it made Jongin smile from ear to ear.

"Hi there."

He clung back on the slightly smaller form of the man cuddling him, his own heart beating crazily. Jongin lowered his head against Taemin's and dropped a kiss on his blond hair.

"Did you miss me?" he teased gently.

"Yes."

It was honest, eager and it sounded so nice to Jongin's ears.

"Are you annoyed already with how clingy I am?" Taemin asked, rubbing his face on Jongin's shirt.

"Not at all. I'm surprised though. Pleasantly surprised. I had been told that you didn't like people touching you too much."

Taemin laughed and finally straightened his head enough to look at him.

"I thought so. But then you came to me and offered those arms and that face and those wide shoulders and you wrecked all the things I believed in."

Jongin grinned. He brushed his nose against Taemin's, and kissed him. His hands found their way to Taemin's soft cheeks and he cupped his face as their slow, lazy kiss became more ardent. Those plushy lips were driving Jongin crazy; everything about kissing Taemin was setting fire to his veins. It was addictive.

Two small hands left his back to grip at the sides of his shirt, and Taemin pulled away just enough to chuckle against his cheek.

"We should stop before I lose my mind over your kisses," Taemin joked quietly.

"It doesn't sound like a bad outcome to me."

"I should at least let you put your shoes off. And feed you a bit. And I promised to watch your favorite movie, which isn't going to happen if you continue to kiss me like that, I assure you."

Jongin was about to retort that he didn't care about any of those things at the moment, but Taemin smoothly moved away from him. And Jongin tried to be reasonable. For now.

As he took off his shoes, Taemin started to show him his apartment. It was as small as he had hinted two days ago. The entrance led to two doors, one was a bathroom, the other was a rectangular room which happened to be the kitchen, the living room and Taemin's bedroom all in one. There were a few posters and pictures on the walls, pillows thrown over the bed, and a few odds and ends arranged in a way that let Jongin think that they were usually a mess and Taemin had tried his best to tidy up before he arrived. There was a strong scent of rice in cooking covering any other perfume that might usually linger. Jongin turned on himself, looking around with interest, before his eyes fell on Taemin, awkwardly standing against the wall, biting his lips.

"It's nice," Jongin said with a smile.

Taemin puckered his lips in a shy pout.

"Thanks. I mean, it's really small-...," Taemin started, his eyes blinking rapidly with unease. "But hmm-... I tried to make it comfortable."

"I think you did a great job."

Taemin seemed to be relieved at that comment and he finally relaxed as Jongin approached the kitchen to peer at whatever dinner was being made there.

"What are you cooking?"

Jongin was smiling brightly and Taemin rubbed one hand on his neck with a sigh.

"I'm making rice. I'm not the greatest cook but I can manage a bit, and omurice is one of the few things I'm actually good at. Please tell me you like eggs."

Jongin giggled as he moved closer, hugging Taemin's side.

"I do, don't worry."

Taemin came closer, resuming what he had been doing before Jongin had knocked on his door. He was about to chop some vegetables when he felt Jongin's fingers brushing gently against his back and he nudged him away.

"I thought I told you already not to distract me when I'm holding a knife."

"Sorry," Jongin sniggered.

"I don't want to screw this up," Taemin continued, nodding his head a few times, more to himself than to Jongin. "I always manage this meal and I'm not gonna survive the humiliation if it turns out horrible today."

Jongin stayed silent next to him, his eyes following Taemin's every move. The very focused expression on his face was lovely.

But Taemin stopped in the middle of cutting some pieces of chicken to glance back at Jongin.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because you're beautiful."

"You're not doing a very good job at not distracting me," Taemin complained.

Jongin leaned closer and pecked his cheek before he moved away, trying to give Taemin some space to focus.

"You know, I'll eat it all even if it tastes horrible."

"Oh damn, you fool. This isn't comforting at all," Taemin laughed. "Also, I don't want you to feel sick. If I do screw up, but I won't, then we'll get some pizzas."

"It just makes me very happy that you're getting into so much troubles for me," Jongin admitted in a gentle tone. "The only persons who ever cooked for me are my parents and Chanyeol."

Taemin turned a bit to take a glimpse at him.

"No previous boyfriend cooked for you?"

Jongin shook his head with a little smile.

"Well then," Taemin coughed with a slight blush. "I really have to make it delicious. I can't crush all those expectations, can I?"

He went back to stare at his pan and busied himself with his pieces of chicken again.

"Does this mean that I can call you my boyfriend out loud?" Jongin inquired softly.

Taemin froze.

"I'm holding a knife, Jongin...," he whined.

"So, can I?"

Taemin bit his lips and let go of his knife to turn around.

"Were you calling me your boyfriend in your head?"

"Maybe," Jongin whispered with a sheepish smile.

"If I say yes, will you let me make you some omurice without further distraction?"

"Maybe," Jongin repeated, this time with mischief sparkling in his eyes.

"I really want to be your boyfriend."

Jongin's whole face brightened up impossibly and Taemin felt his heart swell to take all the space in his chest. Jongin looked like the happiest man in the whole universe, as if Taemin had just given him the thing he wanted the most.

"If you let me kiss you, I promise to stop distracting you."

"Well, if you leave me with no choice...," Taemin said, irony dripping from his tone, and he made a small move of his hand to get Jongin to come closer.

Jongin rushed to him excitedly, and it got Taemin to laugh. His amusement soon died against Jongin's lips and he let himself melt all over again in his arms. There really was something in the way Jongin kissed him that reduced Taemin to a whimpering mess. There was an adoration, a devotion that Taemin couldn't explain. He wasn't sure why he was even feeling that way, what Jongin was doing differently from any other man he ever kissed, but he felt worshiped.

Maybe it was the way Jongin held him so tight and yet so softly, maybe it was the exact position of his arms around him, that made Taemin feel protected. Maybe it was simply because of Jongin's pouty, perfect lips. Or the small gasps Jongin let out whenever their lips parted from a few centimeters, how he chased his mouth because he hadn't had enough and never would.

Taemin suddenly opened his eyes as Jongin was nibbling and sucking his bottom lip, and he pushed him away in a jump.

"My meal!" he cried out, scurrying back to the pan to toss his vegetables.

The distinct smell of something burning had made him come back to his senses, and he grumbled in front of his oven with a pout. He heard a light cackle behind him and threw a towel to Jongin with a huff.

"Damn you and your lips!" Taemin grumbled. "I swear if this is ruined, that was the last kiss you'll get tonight."

Jongin stopped laughing and gave Taemin a sulky look with puckered lips.

"That's unfair, you allowed me to kiss you."

Taemin sighed heavily and forced himself to look at what he was doing and not stare at Jongin.

"And you promised that you'll behave," Taemin retorted. "So, please. It won't be long anymore."

Jongin put his hands in the pockets of his jeans and moved away to go sit on the ground, his back against the bed, facing the television.

"I'm in my corner of good behavior."

"Good. Stay there."

Jongin scrunched his nose and turned to look at Taemin again. For a second, Jongin thought about telling him that he had a very nice butt, because it was true and because it was all he could see from where he was, but he stayed silent to not get Taemin more upset with him. He wondered if it was alright to stare at Taemin's round behind like that, but they had just decided to be boyfriends. And it surely was okay to look at his boyfriend's perfect butt.

Jongin grinned at his own thoughts. And he realized he was there, sitting in Taemin's apartment, looking at him all he wanted while the man, who was now his boyfriend, was making him dinner. It was wonderful to punctuate every thought of his by reminding himself that Taemin was his boyfriend. It truly was. After all those months of sighing every time he saw him and dreaming about that exact moment, he couldn't believe all of this was true.

"Jongin?"

"Mhmm?"

Taemin turned around and smiled at him.

"I'm almost done, can you prepare the movie?"

Jongin agreed promptly and got up to fetch the DVD from the bag he had left in the entrance. As he turned on the TV and launched the set-up, Taemin came by with two plates generously filled, that he put down on the small coffee table. It took a few more goings and comings to bring all drinks and side dishes to the table, and when Taemin finally sat next to him, Jongin leaned closer to peck his cheek.

"Thank you for the meal."

"Taste it before thanking me too eagerly," Taemin huffed.

Jongin gave him a silly smile, and obeyed.

"It's really good," he praised, his mouth still full and eyes crinkled.

Taemin shook his head with a laugh, pushing Jongin's face with one hand on his cheek.

"You idiot."

"Ah, let me enjoy my delicious meal now, will you?" Jongin complained playfully. "We should start the movie too. Stop distracting me, I want to watch it."

Taemin looked at him with outraged wide eyes and pinched his ribs, making him jump a bit and laugh.

"Making fun of me now? Aren't you getting cocky!"

Jongin caught both of Taemin's hands in his and leaned closer, grinning as their noses touched.

"I just want to start the movie before you want to kiss me again and can't stop. I'm saying that for you. So you don't miss out on Pirates of the Caribbean."

"Where is all this confidence coming from? Who are you and what have you done to my Jongin?"

Jongin chuckled, his grip on Taemin's wrists loosening as he pecked his nose.

"Maybe you've been a bad influence."

"Or maybe you just get smug at night like a weird Gremlin."

Jongin scrunched his nose and Taemin sticked his tongue out at him. Then he grabbed the remote control and pressed play without looking back.

"Let's start now. Before I prove you right," he mumbled.

Taemin could feel Jongin's piercing eyes on him and he was sure that the man had the most self-satisfied grin possible on his pretty lips. So he stubbornly focused his stare on the screen and did his best to ignore Jongin.

It took a few long minutes for Taemin to remember that he had a plate of food to eat. First he had been too busy keeping his attention away from his boyfriend, then he had been too caught up in the movie playing. It was only when he heard Jongin murmuring some of the dialogs going on and chuckling before something funny even arrived, that he turned back to look at him fondly, and realized the other was already half done with his own plate.

For a second, Taemin truly praised himself, as he finally tasted his meal. Then his mind went back to gold coins and pirates.

"Can we move to the bed? My butt hurts a bit there," Jongin murmured quietly when they were both finished.

Taemin pressed pause and blinked back at him.

"Mhm? Yes, yes we can, sorry. Do you want anything else to eat?"

Jongin only shook his head and crawled on top of the bed, sitting comfortably. Taemin got up to open the window before he came back snuggling against him.

"Sorry, 'had to open. I don't like to sleep with the smell of food."

"No problem."

They resumed the movie, and Taemin didn't seem to pay attention to the way Jongin put his arm behind his back, pressing him a little bit closer.

"You're comfortable?" Jongin asked quietly.

But Taemin only shushed him with a soft hit on his chest as he cuddled him.

Jongin tried not to laugh as to not disturb him and reported his attention back to the screen.

 

"So. What did you think of it?" Jongin asked as the credits were rolling on the black screen.

Taemin squirmed a bit against him and straightened up, blinking a few times before he started talking.

"It was good! Damn, it was great! I get why it can be your favorite."

A blinding smile bloomed on Jongin's face at that comment.

"There are four more films to the franchise," he immediately said.

Taemin stopped himself from trying to get the remote control back, and turned to look at him with a thoughtful pout. He squinted his eyes, as if in intense debate with himself.

"Are they all as good as this one? Sometimes it gets shitty when there are too many movies."

"They're still quite good. Not all as awesome as the first, but they're not an offense to it."

Taemin nodded slowly, assessing the situation for a few more seconds.

"Are you free on Friday night?"

"Yes!" Jongin exclaimed.

He bounced from his sitting position, tackling Taemin back to the bed gently as he cuddled him.

"We could order some chicken then, I'm not gonna cook for you every time."

"Chicken is the way to my heart, I'm not gonna complain."

"I thought I was there already."

Jongin laughed, his face buried in Taemin's neck.

"I'll cook for you too, once," he murmured.

"You better."

Taemin wiggled beneath Jongin, and his hands found their way to the man's hair, tousling it gently.

"So, how about that post-movie make-out session we talked about? I can't believe we actually made it to the end of it."

Jongin leaned on his forearms, his elbows on either side of Taemin's face, and puckered his lips.

"Well, it's not from lack of trying. You didn't seem to notice me that much for the whole two hours."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Taemin whispered with a teasing grin. "Let me make it up to you."

He tumbled them over, sitting on Jongin's lap, and kissed him. Jongin forgot about everything else.

Taemin's hands traveled all over his chest and neck, stroking, grabbing, caressing him over and over through their kiss. Their bodies moved, rolling a bit, and Jongin's face fell in the crook of Taemin's neck. He left a dozen of small kisses there as he made his way back to his lips. Jongin's head was spinning; his mind had too much to process with the scent of Taemin's skin all over him and those heavenly sighs Taemin was letting out.

He tentatively dared to move his fingers from their soft spot on Taemin's lower back, and his hands slowly traveled along his ribs and arms. There was so much of Taemin to explore that he wasn't sure what to do with himself. He felt one of Taemin's hand grip his hair as their kiss became sloppy and Jongin turned them over completely. He plopped down on Taemin, pulling out a sweet moan from him, and came back to assault his lips.

Jongin fondled Taemin's waist and ended up grabbing his thighs. They were small and slim in his hands and his hold tightened a bit. When they parted enough to look at each other, Jongin couldn't help but smile with delight. There was something really rewarding in seeing Taemin's lips being as red as cherries and even more puffed than usual.

"What is it with you?" Taemin whispered with a frustrated pout. "I feel like I could kiss you for hours and still always want more. You're like a curse."

Jongin let out a sneer as he drew nearer, nibbling on Taemin's bottom lip.

"Is it that bad?"

"Yes, it is," Taemin sighed against his lips.

Jongin murmured an apology that died down in a soft moan when Taemin stroked his hair as he kissed him deeper.

He wasn't sure how long they had been at it already; he surely couldn't get tired of making-out with Taemin anyway. But it was getting difficult to even think. Their bodies kept pressing closer to each other and Jongin knew it wasn't enough.

Then Taemin slowly withdrew and after a few more pecks to his red mouth, he straightened up, sitting once again on Jongin's hips. His fingers came to draw circles on Jongin's cheeks as he looked at him with a tender smile. Jongin wanted to beg him to come back down there and kiss him, but he stayed silent.

"That's my limit," Taemin whispered.

"What do you mean?"

Jongin blinked, trying to focus his stare on Taemin's eyes instead of those sinful lips.

"I mean that we should stop. Otherwise I won't want to anymore and letting you go will make me sad."

"Oh."

"Is it okay?"

Taemin seemed concerned, frowning down ont him, and Jongin poked his nose with a smile.

"Yes, it is, don't worry."

Jongin took a long inhale to clear his mind a bit as Taemin moved over, leaving him enough space to sat back.

"I actually have no idea what time it is. I should be careful not to miss the last subway."

"I think you still have time for that."

Taemin smiled to him and pecked his forehead gently before he got up to get the dishes from their long forgotten meal back to the sink.

Leaving Taemin on that night proved to be a lot harder than what Jongin had expected. It involved a lot of late kisses and hugs in the little entry, a few whines coming from him that Friday was definitely an eternity away, and promises from Taemin to text him so much he would grow tired of him in less than a day. When they finally managed to part and Jongin disappeared at the corner of the corridor out of Taemin's apartment, it all fell quiet. Taemin sighed as he closed his door and leaned against it with a pout.

His heart was beating a bit too fast in his chest and he scratched his forehead in slight annoyance.

"Damn Taemin, why do you have to be so needy! What is this! When did we become like that, uh?"

He huffed in frustration at himself and moved away to his bathroom, glaring at his own reflection as he brushed his teeth. The only thought calming his nerves was the fact that Jongin seemed to be craving any closeness with him just as much as he did.

 

They met again on Friday. And then on Sunday. And then on Monday.

Jongin came at Taemin's for their second movie night, bringing fried chicken with him and a beaming grin. They watched the third movie at Jongin's, because Chanyeol had a night out with his girlfriend. That night, Jongin cooked, as he had promised.

They met in cafés too, they met for ice creams, and went to a second-hand bookshop where Jongin made a lot of recommendations to Taemin and they both left with too many books to read.

Chanyeol kept teasing Jongin about that lovesick, silly, goofy smile that never left his lips anymore, but he couldn't care about that at all. Not when his relationship with Taemin was getting more and more wonderful every time he saw him.

Once they had finished all of the Pirates of the Caribbean five movies, they continued their evenings together by watching dramas on TV that were bad enough to not make them want to follow the plot; it was a tacit agreement between them to only choose things they weren't interested in, so they could make out instead.

Or so, Jongin thought it was their implicit little thing until he got a text from Taemin one afternoon, asking him if he was okay to watch a horror movie that night.

" **I got a movie I've always wanted to watch! Please! Just this one!! 6v6** "

Jongin made a face, sat in the little staff room at work, pondering over it as his fingers played with the rim of his glasses. It was only fair, in a way, that they watched a movie Taemin wanted to see. After all, he did go through all five of Jongin's favorites.

" **Is it really scary? What is it about?** "

" **Aah, it's about ghosts. Please, please, please, pretty please. I promise you'll get to cuddle me if it's scary and I'll protect you from all evil spirits and if it's really too terrible, we can stop it in the middle.** "

Jongin nibbled on his thumb and sighed as he typed another text that let Taemin know he was okay with it. How could he possibly say no to such suggestions.

Taemin sent him a dozens of heart through their chat, and Jongin spent the rest of his working hours praying that he wouldn't live to regret his decision.

That evening, he knocked on Taemin's door with two pizzas in hands. They hadn't seen each other in four days, which was their ultimate limit by now. And as soon as Jongin entered, Taemin took the pizzas away from him, hurried to bring them to the table in front of his bed before he came back in a rush to throw himself in the man's arms. Jongin giggled as he caught him flying, hugging him close while Taemin was rubbing their cheeks together and leaving a myriad of kisses on his jaw.

"You're impossible, making me miss you like that. I'd like to file a complaint," Taemin muttered.

"You're the one who was too busy the last couple of days," Jongin pouted.

"I'll file that complaint to my boss and pretended friends then."

Taemin smiled brightly at him, and kissed him.

In the past few weeks, Jongin had gone a tiny bit better at that whole thing about kissing Taemin but keeping his heart inside his chest. It was still a roller coaster of happiness and joy, but he managed to let go of him without feeling like he was going to wither from the loss.

When they parted, Jongin went to the small kitchen to get glasses and the jug of iced tea Taemin always left in the fridge.

"What did you make today?"

Taemin raised his head from the pizza he had been slicing and looked over to see what Jongin was talking about.

"Ah, it's the Prickly Pear green tea."

"Will it go well with the pizzas?"

"Probably not," Taemin laughed loudly. "But I don't care, to be honest. You can take some water, if you prefer."

Jongin shrugged and joined him on the ground, putting the dishes on the table.

"So," he tried, tentatively, "what are we watching?"

Taemin glanced at him with a mischievous smile that didn't bode well for Jongin.

"It's called 'The Haunted Mansion'," Taemin said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Jongin's first reaction was to wince. But then he frowned, and blinked, and scratched his cheek.

"It rings a bell, I think I know about this one," he murmured.

"Oh yeah?"

Taemin's tone was playful, as if he was on the verge of bursting into laughter. That's when it hit Jongin.

"Wait a minute, that's a Disney movie!"

He sounded shocked, and Taemin couldn't contain himself anymore. He laughed to his face, clapping his hands like a maniac.

"You pranked me!" Jongin whined.

Taemin retrieved the DVD case from under the table and showed it to Jongin with a giggle.

"Well, it's a movie I've wanted to watch since a long time but never did. And it's a horror movie... for kids. Kind of. I didn't lie."

Jongin hit his shoulder, probably a bit too softly to be effective, and sighed.

"Couldn't you just tell me we were going to watch some funny idiotic movie instead of letting me sweat all afternoon?"

"Aw, I could have, indeed. But did you really think I would ask you to watch a horror movie with me when I know you don't like them? I'm not that evil."

Taemin had the nerves to give him a sad little pout and Jongin wasn't sure if he wanted to kiss him or kick his ass.

"I don't know," Jongin mumbled. "I thought it was fair for you to ask for a movie you like. For once. I just wanted to make you happy."

Taemin leaned against him to kiss the corner of his lips with another grin.

"You're so sweet."

Jongin grumbled lowly and Taemin kissed him again.

"So, have you watched it already?" Taemin inquired.

"Actually, no. I wanted to."

"Well, then, here we go."

The best thing about 'the Haunted Mansion', in Jongin's opinion, was that it was ridiculously amusing and thus, it made Taemin laugh so much he sometimes had trouble to breath. What didn't help to calm down his hilarity, was every time he witnessed Jongin jump a bit on his seat when a door closed abruptly, or when the creepy butler appeared out of nowhere. And he decided that he would definitely never, ever make him endure any of his favorite horror movies, because that poor boy wouldn't survive any of them.

"Oh for God's sake, don't tell her to take her time! Find the damn key and get the fuck out of here!" Jongin suddenly yelped, making Taemin bounce with surprise.

"What the-..." he laughed. "They don't hear you, you know."

Jongin huffed in frustration, snuggling closer to Taemin as his eyes stayed glued to the screen.

"Why don't they hurry up, oh man! Just get out! Get out! There! More skeletons, I knew it!"

The way Jongin was clawing at his arm and breathing heavily on his shoulder made Taemin's heart go a bit faster. There were skeletons popping up all of a sudden in the TV and he couldn't understand why they made Jongin anxious when the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie alone was ten thousand times scarier than this. Still he could admit there was some intriguing suspense in the scene. It was endearing, even if everything was clearly expected.

"Oh," Taemin whispered, "she's gonna dive into the water. She's gonna do it. Don't do it!"

"But she needs the key," Jongin whined.

"Don't go into the water, you idiot!"

They both hold their breaths without even realizing it, and Jongin jumped again when yet another skeleton suddenly arose from nowhere. Taemin was shaking Jongin's hands in his with gritted teeth.

"We're gonna see her in the water. We're gonna see her in the water. Something's gonna get to her!"

"Shhhh," Jongin hissed. "Don't bring her bad luck."

Jongin tightened his hold on Taemin's arm; Taemin tensed, his toes curving. And he yelled. Which made Jongin scream in turn, and he wasn't even sure why. He turned to Taemin with wide eyes and furrowed eyebrows.

"Why did you yell?" he screeched.

"That fucking skeleton's head! I knew it was coming but I got scared," Taemin answered, just as loud.

"What the hell, Lee Taemin! I thought you watched horror movie for breakfast. I almost had a heart attack."

"He attacked me and you were digging your fingers into my arm for dear life and I got taken aback okay!"

Jongin suddenly started laughing and Taemin let out a long breath which turned into chortles.

"I can't believe we're losing our shit over a damn Disney movie," Jongin smirked.

"Well, those skeletons are well done."

Jongin shook his head and crawled to the table to retrieve the remote control.

"With all of this we missed the movie. Let's go back. Don't get scared again, you chicken."

"Says the guy who screamed not because he was scared but because he heard someone else scream," Taemin retorted with a pinch on Jongin's butt.

Jongin grinned at him for an answer and came to sat back against the wall, pulling Taemin into his arms.

"There, I'll protect you."

Taemin snorted but stayed silent. He couldn't help the slight laugh escaping his lips when the moment that surprised him earlier played again and Jongin kissed the top of his head.

 

"Will you be able to sleep tonight?" Jongin whispered with a teasing grin.

The movie was over, and Taemin had just shut down the TV before he turned over on Jongin's lap to squeeze his nose.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you? Making fun of me."

"I wouldn't. I'm too shy," Jongin snickered. "I'm only concerned for you, since you seemed really afraid of those skeletons."

Taemin shook his head and slapped one on his fingers to Jongin's forehead.

"I will try to survive the night. You can call me in the morning to make sure I'm still alive."

"I'll do that."

Jongin circled Taemin's waist with his arms, bringing him a bit closer to kiss him, but one index on his lips stopped him.

"Or...," Taemin murmured, and Jongin was captivated by the promising glint in his eyes, "you could stay the night. With me."

Jongin's mouth fell open as his eyes widened. Any will and plan to tease his boyfriend some more had completely disappeared from his mind, and he swallowed hard.

"Could I...?" he repeated hesitantly.

Taemin nodded slowly, a satisfied smile stretching his lips when he noticed the way Jongin's cheeks were blushing.

Until then, they had always gone back home, after a more or less long session of kissing each other breathless. They hadn't even talked about spending a night together. It was another implicit understanding. The idea to stay and wake up on the next day with Taemin in his arms was overwhelming.

"I didn't bring anything...," Jongin heard himself say.

And he frowned a bit. He hadn't meant to resist this at all, even if he didn't have any underwear to change into.

"Well," Taemin said, putting his arms around Jongin's neck, "if you don't really want to stay or if it's important for you to have your own pajamas, I can understand. Otherwise, I can lend you anything that you need. I even have a spare toothbrush. And I volunteer to replace Gomini for the night, whatever his duties are."

Jongin laughed lowly at the mention of his teddy bear and he leaned closer, hiding his face in his boyfriend's neck. Taemin's fingers were gently scraping the back of his head. There was no way he would set one toe out of this apartment before the next day.

"I really want to sleep next to you," Taemin murmured, his lips leaving a few kisses under his ear. "Please."

Jongin raised his head enough to kiss him fully.

"You know, I cuddle Gomini a lot."

"Fantastic."

"Also, I don't really like to wear pajamas."

Taemin stopped chasing his lips to look at him better, and smiled.

"This sounds like the opposite of a problem to me."

Jongin laughed and hugged him closer. It took them a few more pecks before they managed to part, and Taemin went to take care of the dishes as Jongin tried to find back his phone. He texted a message to Chanyeol, letting him know that he wouldn't come back home tonight, which his best friend answered with a non-committed, very short message that left Jongin puzzled.

"Everything's alright?"

"Mhm?"

"You looked worried."

Jongin pouted, leaving his phone behind as he trotted to join Taemin in the very small bathroom. There, he was handed a toothbrush.

"Ah, thanks. It's just Chanyeol. He didn't tease me for staying here so I'm assuming the worst for tomorrow. He's probably restraining himself to unleash everything directly to my face."

Taemin snorted with laughter and coughed, having to spit his toothpaste in the sink to not choke on it.

"I almost feel sorry for you," he mouthed, before going back to brush his teeth.

"It's okay. This is a price I'm willing to pay if I get to cuddle you tomorrow morning."

Taemin stopped his movements to look at him through the mirror. Jongin was giving him a beaming grin before he shoved his toothbrush in his mouth, and Taemin shook his head.

He wasn't sure that he would ever get used to Jongin's sweet honesty and how he could flirt in the cutest possible way.

They decided to go to bed early, mostly because they both knew they weren't about to sleep anyway. Maybe Taemin was just eager to cling to a shirtless Jongin like a leech. He had a small moment of hesitation as he stood in front of his dressers, knowing full well Jongin was somewhere behind him, probably watching him. Taemin bit his lips, sighed, and took his jeans off, quickly changing into his sleeping clothes, which consisted of one large striped shirt and shorts. Then he turned over, and froze on his spot.

Jongin did mention not liking pajamas, and he had been expecting to have the man in boxers, laying next to him under the sheets as they slept. But somehow, anticipating the thing didn't make the sight of Jongin almost naked, shyly sitting on his bed with his hands over his lap, any easier for his heart. Taemin blinked a few times, feeling his insides twist and melt, and his legs wobble.

Jongin was staring at the ground, his cheeks growing redder as the silence between them stretched impossibly. He could feel Taemin's prying eyes on him, and he was starting to regret every choice he ever made in his life, that led him to that precise moment. He squeezed his eyes shut and cowered a bit on himself, when he heard Taemin turn the lights off.

The room was still illuminated with the soft light of the moon, from the window, and Jongin turned his head in the general direction of Taemin. He couldn't really tell where he was, because he had put his glasses on the little nightstand already.

"Get your pretty ass under the sheets," Taemin murmured gently. "You looked like you were about to cry."

"Sorry."

Taemin climbed on the bed next to him and they laid on their sides, watching each other from a respectable distance that was so unlike them.

"I'm the one who's sorry for staring at you like that. I was surprised. And awestruck."

"I didn't mean to make it awkward... I don't know. I wasn't sure if I should get under the blanket already," Jongin muttered.

Taemin raised his hand to let his fingers travel softly all over Jongin's face, following his jaw, tracing his neck and collarbone, all the way to his shoulder. He came closer and left a kiss up Jongin's cheekbone.

"I only want to sleep next to you tonight, is that okay?" Taemin asked.

Jongin nodded slowly.

"That's what I want too. And cuddling."

Taemin hummed and snuggled to Jongin's chest, circling his waist with one arm.

"Can I be honest with you?" Taemin whispered.

"Of course."

"I've missed this. I've missed it so much."

Jongin tightened his hold on him, moving to lay on his back and bring Taemin to rest on him.

"What do you mean?"

"Just... you know... being held. All the softness. It's been a while since my last relationship. And it wasn't-... he didn't really do hugs. I thought I didn't want them that much anyway."

Jongin stayed silent, one of his hand stroking Taemin's hair smoothly. They had never talked about their previous relationships. It wasn't exactly a subject Jongin was eager to address; he was a bit shy about the one and only boyfriend he had before Taemin, and he was uncomfortable about hearing of Taemin's exes. Mostly because he wasn't sure how he'd react to that and how his insecurities would make him feel. But at Taemin's words, he couldn't help the surge of tenderness that invaded him.

"You make me feel happy. And lucky," Taemin confessed. "Just you holding me... it makes me happy. So, thank you."

Jongin pinched his lips together to contain the smile that wanted to break his lips. He closed his eyes, his hug narrowing around Taemin.

"I felt a bit stupid for being so sappy," Taemin giggled, "but your heart is beating really fast so I'll just assume it's alright."

"Yes," Jongin laughed. "It's alright. You make me happy too."

"Good. Can you always stay so affectionate with me?"

"I promise."

Taemin sighed happily, his feet playing with Jongin's.

"Jongin?"

"Yeah?"

"You were really hot, almost naked, sitting on my bed."

Jongin burst out laughing and pushed Taemin away, but the man immediately crawled back on top of him, squeezing his chest.

"Why are you saying this all of a sudden? We were talking about our very romantic and beautiful feelings."

"I just didn't want you to think I wasn't appreciating you, okay. Don't get me wrong, I only want to sleep tonight, but I still think you're smoking hot. You always look so insecure, I don't want you to think for even one second that I don't find you attractive," Taemin whined.

Jongin found himself speechless, and he was glad that they were both laying in the dark and that Taemin couldn't see the redness spreading on his face.

"Thank you," he murmured, for the lack of something better to say.

"Ah, let's talk about something else. It's embarrassing. I'm starting to feel weird from all those secrets I spilled already. Talk to me about something else, please."

"Uh? What should I talk about?"

"Whatever you want."

It took a few minutes for Jongin to order his thoughts enough to stop replaying all those things Taemin had whispered into the dark. He tried to find something innocent and safe to talk about, but he was struggling a bit. Taemin waited patiently, his fingers drawing abstract forms on Jongin's neck as he hummed lowly. And Jongin finally started to tell him about how he wanted to go to New Zealand someday, and everything he planned to do there. Taemin simpered that visiting New Zealand would be nice if Jongin promised to protect him from the bugs, and Jongin swore he would. They made plans and none of them tried to ask if they were serious or not, if Jongin would really let Taemin join this dream of his, if Taemin would really want to go there with him. At some point, Taemin asked if they could do scuba-diving and Jongin didn't answer. Taemin waited for a few seconds before he moved his head and realized Jongin had fallen asleep.

"Good night, Jonginnie," he whispered in a yawn.

.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone,
> 
> Here is a new chapter for you. Did you survive the fluff? Are you alright? ♥
> 
> Also, we're nearing the end of YMCOT. I had originally planned 9 chapters, but I keep having ideas I want to do, I think I don't want it to end just yet, so... it's gonna be 11 chapters. Two more to go, my dears. I hope you'll look forward to them and continue to enjoy this fic. You're welcome to write me down your wishes and expectations for the last chapters.  
> I'll try to post as soon as possible, my goal is to not exceed two weeks, but it's a bit difficult to write lately. So please be patient with me. I promise I'm not gonna give up on this fic, so don't worry.
> 
> About today's tea, it's a green tea with mango & prickly pear that I found in a teashop in my city. I couldn't find any brand to share with you... but I found it very curious, that “prickly pear”, and it was a good discovery. Lately I really enjoy those soft, light teas that can also be drunk cold.
> 
> Have a good day,  
> See you soon.


	10. Océan de fraîcheur

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning : there is a mention of sexual intercourse in this chapter. it is not an actual sex scene, but a slight talk about having sex. be careful if it makes you uncomfortable or if you can't read this kind of things atm. thanks.

.

Jongin breathed in slowly, squirming under the sheets. He faintly noticed that his movements were restricted, but his mind was already lulling back to sleep. Something shifted next to him and for a second, he thought it was Monggu. It made him open one tired eye, but he shut it right away with a pout. He absentmindedly came closer to that warmness resting under his arm.

"Stop moving."

Jongin froze, opening his two eyes again with difficulty as the memories of last night slowly made their way to his foggy mind. He knew that voice, he loved it very much. Hearing it right as he woke up, when Taemin's tone was still laced with sleep, felt like honey to Jongin's ears. He sighed, snuggling even closer to him to spoon him and smiled when he felt Taemin leaning against him in return.

He rested his face on the back of Taemin's neck, his breath coming to tickle the other's ear.

"'morning."

Taemin shivered in his arms, and Jongin didn't see the goosebumps that appeared all over his neck. Taemin moaned softly as an answer, his fingers lazily stroking over Jongin's wrist, resting on his stomach.

Jongin's fell into a soft slumber; he dreamed, maybe. He wasn't sure. Everything seemed a bit blurry around him and he didn't want to move or wake up anyway. He knew it was Sunday, he knew he had Taemin against him, and he couldn't think of a single thing that could make him want to go away from that cute man snoring softly.

Taemin stirred next to him, cowering on himself and twisting his body until he managed to completely turn around. He inhaled deeply, one hand coming to rub at his eyes, and curled up back to Jongin's chest with a sigh. His face was pressed against Jongin's collarbone, and he sleepily puckered his lips to kiss him there.

Jongin smiled, his hands tracing Taemin's back to come stroke his neck and move his head higher. He lowered his face just enough to make their noses brush against each other.

Everything was even better than what Jongin had imagined. The soft warmness and peculiar scent of Taemin's skin in the morning melted his heart, along with the blurry sight of his swollen cheeks, tired eyes and puffy lips. He could get used to getting up to that heavenly view.

Taemin pouted and squirmed his head enough to reach and kiss him. They smooched leisurely, their legs entangling even more as they tried to get closer.

"Did you sleep well?"

One of Jongin's hand came to caress Taemin's cheek.

"Mhmm. Very well. And you?"

"Me too," Taemin sighed, "and now I want a cup of tea but I don't ever want you or me to leave this bed."

Jongin coughed, but his voice was still deep and hoarse from sleep when he spoke again.

"Did you have any plans for today?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

Taemin kissed him again, a lazy grin blooming on his lips.

"I had planned to lure you into my bed last night so I could spend my whole Sunday wrapped around you. So far so good."

Jongin rolled his eyes, tickling Taemin's ribs lightly.

"Then if you give me a few more minutes, I'll make you some breakfast."

"Ooh? Really?" Taemin asked, his eyes shining with satisfaction.

Jongin hummed some confirmation before his face disappeared back somewhere between the pillow and Taemin's neck.

"Can we eat while watching cartoons?" Taemin asked as he absentmindedly stroked Jongin's scalp.

"If you want, yes," Jongin laughed.

Taemin smiled and closed his eyes again. He moved to wrap his arms around Jongin's head and held him against his chest, kissing his hair gently. Jongin sighed, his arm around Taemin's waist loosening a bit.

"Jongin...?"

A very soft, quiet moan answered Taemin's murmur, and the man smiled.

"Are you going back to sleep?" he whispered in a conspiratorial tone.

Jongin gave him another light hum and Taemin laughed. It made Jongin's head bounce a bit on his chest.

Taemin's fingers slowly flew over Jongin's back, and to his neck again. Jongin's skin was warm and so soft under his hands; and as Taemin was slowly getting out of his own drowsiness, he realized how precious this moment was, and how happy it made him.

"Are you asleep, Jonginnie?"

Jongin mumbled yet another low sound that vaguely resembled a 'no', and Taemin brushed one finger on his lips.

"What about my breakfast?"

There was a little twinkle of playfulness in his muttered tone, but Jongin was too deep in sleepiness to notice it.

"...'few minutes," he stammered.

Taemin lowered his head to brush his face against Jongin's.

"But you already said that a few minutes ago."

Jongin grumbled something incoherent and squeezed him tighter, trying to hide his face in Taemin's neck and hopefully make him stop talking so they could get back to lazy cuddles.

Taemin giggled, squirming a bit to get more space to move as he started to pepper him with kisses. He saw Jongin scrunch his nose as he fluttered his eyes open, looking disheveled and confused. Jongin blinked once, twice, and frowned at Taemin who was smiling brightly at him.

"Are you a morning person?" he groaned, with the same accusing tone he would use to ask if Taemin enjoyed making children cry.

It only made Taemin's laughters stronger.

"I'm a hungry person. To whom you kinda made a promise," he simpered.

Jongin stretched a bit, yawned directly to Taemin's face and then went back to pouting.

"What happened to you not wanting me to leave this bed?" he whined as he rubbed his eyes.

Taemin stayed silent, biting on his smiling lips as he stared at Jongin, while the man was wiggling his way back into his arms. It lasted a whole minute, before Jongin shifted uncomfortably.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You're the most adorable person in the whole universe, do you know that?"

Jongin blushed, taken aback by the sudden compliment.

"Are you sweet-talking me into getting up?"

Taemin came closer to bump their noses together and left a kiss on Jongin's forehead.

"No, I just have too many feelings for your sleepy face. Stay here and be unfairly cute, I'll make us some breakfast."

He gave Jongin another blinding smile and turned around in the bed, trying to untangle his legs from the sheets, when a hand on his arm stopped him.

"Kiss me and I'll get up."

Taemin tapped his fingers against Jongin's ribs.

"Are we gonna argue on who will make breakfast now?"

"Kiss me," Jongin repeated.

"So demanding...," Taemin whispered as he rolled his eyes.

He lowered himself before Jongin could say anything, and kissed him. Jongin cupped Taemin's face in his hands and kissed back with a devotion that made Taemin light-headed. As if they hadn't kissed just minutes before, as if Jongin had been craving him for days.

"Let's make breakfast together," Taemin proposed with a last peck on Jongin's plushy lips.

Jongin nodded, and followed him up to the kitchen corner, his hand clutching Taemin's shirt. It had proved to be a challenge, to get anything done in there. They couldn't keep their hands away from each other. Jongin had been too preoccupied playing with Taemin's rebellious strands of hair going in every direction, to choose which tea he wanted to drink. In the end, Taemin had huffed and chose one himself. Then he had spent twenty minutes back hugging Jongin, his face crushed in between the man's shoulder blades as Jongin was reheating some rice and making steamed eggs.

They staggered back to the bed with meal trays and smiles on their lips, and Taemin happily turned on some cartoons on TV. They played with their food as much as they ate it and none of them cared about their eggs getting cold. They had all the time in the world and Jongin intended of enjoying it to the fullest. They only turned off the TV when they couldn't find any cartoon they liked anymore; their plates were empty and Taemin made them more of that soft, light tea that Jongin liked so much. The one with citrus, that was still delicious even when it turned cold.

Jongin asked if there were great teas coming from New Zealand, and Taemin had to admit that he had no clue, and it was decided that they would figure this out when they'll go there together.

"You were serious when you said you'd let me come with you?" Taemin asked shyly.

"Were you not when you said you'd like to join?"

Taemin looked at him quietly for a moment, before he put the tray that stood between them away, and crawled back to sit between Jongin's legs, leaning his back against his boyfriend's chest. He took his cup of tea back and blew on it to cool it down a bit.

"I was. But it's intimidating to admit it so soon."

Jongin had his face pressed in his nape, and Taemin felt him smile.

"Then let's talk more about that later. In a few months."

Taemin nodded, his eyes lost in his mug, watching with strange fascination the twirls of his yellow tea.

"What are you thinking about?" Jongin asked in a murmur.

He let his head rest on Taemin's shoulder, glancing at the way the man was blinking so slowly.

Taemin kept silent for a while, as if he needed time to realize where his thoughts had gone. He sighed softly and took a sip of his tea, before he presented the cup to Jongin, who drank in turn. Then Taemin moved away, putting the mug on the nightstand, and snuggled back to him.

"You gave me so much in so little time. Sometimes I'm overwhelmed with you."

"In a good way?" Jongin inquired.

Taemin noticed the nervousness in his voice and he intertwined their fingers together with a smile.

"Yes."

Jongin relaxed behind him and Taemin brought their joined hands to his face to kiss his fingers.

"Can I say something cheesy?"

"Yes."

"You're my dream came true, Kim Jongin."

Jongin's heart threatened to explode at that timid sentence, and he couldn't help the stunned gasp that left his lips. Taemin twisted himself on Jongin's lap to finally look up to him with soft eyes.

"I see how you hesitate to hold me sometimes. And those moments when you look like you want me to kiss you because you can't bring yourself to do it. When you whisper things because you're nervous of saying them too loud... when you do this... are you worried I will push you away?"

Jongin's throat tightened, until it felt impossible for him to speak, and he nodded quietly. Taemin brushed his hair away from his forehead and kissed him with all the tenderness he could muster.

"I won't push you away," Taemin continued. "Every time you want to kiss me, please remember I want to kiss you too. I am so happy that you started to drink tea, and that it brought you to me somehow. I am not good with words and what I'm saying doesn't make a lot of sense, but the way you look at me, the way you listen to me, how you excitedly share with me the things that make you happy... I like all of that. It's all I've been waiting for. You're all I thought I would never find."

Jongin clenched his hands on Taemin's waist. There were things he wanted to say, but the words wouldn't form coherent sentences in his head. He looked at the man before him, eyes lost and heart swollen with affection.

"Have you ever been truly happy in a relationship before?" Taemin asked in a murmur.

Jongin frowned at the question, but shook his head slowly.

"Not really," he admitted.

His answer seemed to surprise Taemin a bit.

"Me neither. I want to start with us."

"I've only had one relationship... before you," Jongin confessed.

It didn't seem to shock Taemin as much as Jongin thought it might. Nor did it faze him. Taemin stayed quiet, as if waiting for Jongin to elaborate.

"It wasn't-... It wasn't that great, actually. We didn't have much in common. But I was so excited to be with someone that I was annoying, I think. When he left, he told me I was too boring to be this clingy and that it wasn't worth it."

"What?" Taemin choked, his eyes widening.

Jongin gave him a small sheepish smile that broke his heart.

"It's okay though... I think I was really annoying. I didn't know what I was doing anyway. And we were bound to break up, I guess. It wasn't exactly a healthy and fulfilling relationship. After that, I tried to date but I'm always scared that my hobbies are uninteresting to others. I don't want to be called boring ever again. And as you noticed, I'm not that great at flirting, I never knew how to take the first step so... yeah."

Taemin frowned at him and cupped his face in his hands, looking at him very seriously.

"What he said to you was heartless. It's something horrible to say to someone. And Jongin, please trust me when I say this, you're not boring. I've never thought that about you, not even once."

"Thank you."

Taemin pouted at him.

"Don't thank me. It will sound like I said that to comfort you. I mean, I did. But I said it because it's true."

Jongin's smile was bright and honest this time, and Taemin pressed a kiss to his lips.

"Stay with me for a long time, Taemin-ah. I will do all I can to always make you happy," Jongin requested in a soft whisper.

Taemin laughed, kissed him again, and hid his face against Jongin's neck.

"I will then. But you know... my happiness is your happiness."

 

 

When he arrived back home, late at night, Jongin still felt like he was floating on a cloud. He had spent the whole day at Taemin's, and it had been the longest they ever stayed together, along with the happiest he had been in a while.

He entered his house and heard a little ruckus in the living room. As he popped his head out of the entrance, his eyes immediately fell on Chanyeol, sitting with his legs crossed, in a way that his best friend probably hoped to seem smug. But before Jongin could make any comment about how stupid it made him look, Chanyeol slurped what was left of his soda, making as much noise with his straw as he possibly could, and wiggled his eyebrows at Jongin. Then he slowly put his glass away and smiled at him.

"So?" he asked, drawing out the sound for a few seconds.

In that moment, did Jongin remember what he had been scared of, the previous night, before going to bed with Taemin. Chanyeol had made no comment about him spending the night out of the house.

"Oh damn...," Jongin whispered.

"How was your first night with your boyfriend?" Chanyeol sniggered.

Jongin turned away and made a beeline to the kitchen.

"It was great," he shouted, and cursed at himself when he heard his voice waver.

Chanyeol was quick to follow and it made Jongin wince. But as Chanyeol entered the kitchen, the mischief had disappeared from his face.

"Did you not eat?"

"Hum? Yeah, I did. I'm just thirsty."

"D'you wanna play Marvel vs. Capcom with me?"

The question took Jongin by surprise and he turned around, pleating his eyes at Chanyeol. They stayed silent for a few seconds, until Jongin came closer, inspecting his best friend carefully.

"What is this?"

"I think it's my face," Chanyeol snorted.

"No. I mean, you asking me to play video games."

Chanyeol raised one of his eyebrows with a confused look.

"What are you talking about?"

"Why are you not making any sarcastic comment about my night at Taem's? Are you planning on bullying me through the game?"

Chanyeol rolled his eyes, very dramatically, but then just smiled at Jongin.

"I'm not a jerk. Come on, let's play. I've been bored the whole day, Baekhyun was busy. Having break from uni is the worst and I can't believe I'm actually saying that."

Jongin went to the fridge, opened the door, took some orange juice, poured himself a glass, -his eyes still not leaving his best friend- and hummed lowly.

"You're really not gonna be commenting further on that?"

"Honestly Jongin, I was just joking when you came back. I know when to respect your privacy. Now it's almost like you want me to ask about what you did with him."

"I don't."

"Then, let's play!"

Chanyeol gave him one of his gigantic smile that showed all of his teeth, and Jongin squinted at him. If Chanyeol was that desperate to be entertained, he should take advantage of it.

"Only if you let me play with Iron Man."

A malicious smirk bloomed on Jongin's face when he noticed his best friend getting tensed. Then Chanyeol sighed.

"Fine. You get Iron Man. I don't need him to beat you anyway."

Jongin sneered and rubbed his hands together before he took his glass back to the living room. Chanyeol immediately launched the game, and Jongin wondered just how long his roommate had been waiting for him to get home so they could do something together.

After fifteen minutes, it appeared that Chanyeol did need Iron Man in order to win, and it made Jongin snicker mockingly. He shifted from his seat only to throw his foot at his best friend, pushing his butt with his toes.

"You should have spent the afternoon practicing instead of crying about how much you missed me," Jongin taunted.

Chanyeol straightened, almost looking away from the screen for a second, in outrage, but frowned instead and rolled to sit on Jongin's foot on purpose.

"Quit bragging, I'm gonna finish you, just wait and see."

Jongin wiggled his foot away in a succession of little whines.

"That's all I'm doing! Waiting for you to give me a challenge...," he snorted.

"Getting laid sure gave you a lot of confidence," Chanyeol suddenly grumbled.

Jongin froze, eyes widening as his cheeks reddened impossibly and he jumped in surprise when Chanyeol barked in laughters, smashing his controller like a maniac.

"See, you're finished!"

Jongin blinked twice and yelped, trying to get his senses back. But his trembling thumb hit the wrong button and Chanyeol rhapsodized.

"Who's crying now?" Chanyeol cackled. "This was all part of my plan, see. Getting you confident so you'd make stupid mistakes."

"I'm still winning," Jongin pouted.

Then the game paused suddenly and Jongin's jaw fell open.

"What?" he asked stupidly, looking at the screen for a few seconds before he realized Chanyeol had probably hit the button on purpose.

He turned around and came face to face with his best friend, who had his eyes pleated at him in wonder.

"Wait a minute...," Chanyeol whispered.

"What are you doing?" Jongin complained. "Taking a break won't make you win."

Chanyeol opened his mouth, but said nothing. Jongin sighed and leaned against him, trying to reach for his controller and get back to the game but Chanyeol threw himself over the couch, extending his arm as far as possible to keep it out of reach.

"Park Chanyeol!"

"Did you get laid?!"

Jongin almost fell on the ground from shock and looked at his best friend with an offended blush.

"That's none of your business," he hiccuped.

"So you did! You got all jittery after I said you did, you definitely did!"

Jongin could feel his face and neck burning with embarrassment and he straightened up, his hands clawing at his controller as he did his best to look anywhere but at Chanyeol.

"No I didn't," he grumbled through gritted teeth.

A long, embarrassing silence stretched, and Jongin finally turned to Chanyeol with a bitter look on his face.

"Why not?" Chanyeol asked, his eyebrows shooting up on his forehead.

"Enough," Jongin whined. "You said you knew when to respect my privacy!"

"Yeah well, I just made that comment as a joke... I mean the getting laid part, not the respecting your privacy thing, but you reacted so cutely... I'm curious now!"

Jongin puffed his cheeks and finally let go of his controller, putting it on the table in front of them as he let himself fall on the sofa like a lifeless puppet.

"Do you want me to drop the subject entirely?" Chanyeol suddenly asked, and when Jongin gave him a confused look, he hold his hands in the air as a peace offering. "Look, all I'm saying is that you react a bit like a drama-queen, which is what you usually do when you want to talk about something but don't dare. If you want me to shut my damn mouth, look me in the eyes and says so... and we can go back to me beating you."

Jongin wanted to retort something very sarcastic, both about the fact that Chanyeol was still an eternity away from beating him and that all he wanted in this world was for him to stop talking about his night with Taemin. But he didn't. He realized he might have acted a little bit exaggeratedly, and maybe Chanyeol was right. Maybe he did want to talk about Taemin. Maybe he had been waiting for Chanyeol to tease him and give him an excuse to spill out the tea.

So instead, he sat a bit more comfortably, wiggling on his legs, and pouted.

"We only cuddled. A lot."

He heard Chanyeol put his own controller on the coffee table as well. Then the man came to poke at his thighs.

"Are you upset about that? Like... did you want more?"

"No... No, I really didn't. I'm very happy with how everything went," Jongin admitted, his cheeks growing red all over again.

He had his face turned to the window, unable to look at his best friend when they were talking about having sex with his boyfriend.

"I mean, we talked a lot. And I think we weren't ready for that yet. Neither of us wanted more... or like, I mean, I do... I'd like more. But not now. I only wanted to be next to him."

"Then that's good. I mean... If you two are on the same page and all."

Jongin nodded. One of his hand came to rub at his forehead.

"Can I tell you something...? If you promise you won't make fun of me."

Chanyeol nudged him in his ribs softly, coming closer to put his head on Jongin's shoulder.

"I promise I won't. What's going on?"

"The truth is-... I've been thinking-... I mean, I thought about it already. You know, doing-... stuff with Taemin."

"Jongin, you're a grown-up man, you can say 'have sex with Taemin'."

Jongin closed his eyes tight and made a face that took a snort out of Chanyeol. It was the same pout he did when he ate something sour.

"Okay, well-... I thought about having-... like... sex, with Taemin. And well, it's a bit awkward. I'm scared, in a way."

"Why is that? You're not a virgin anymore... I don't think you'd have forgotten how to do it already," Chanyeol joked.

Jongin shrugged, only to push around Chanyeol's head still laying on his shoulder, and frowned at him.

"You said you wouldn't make fun of me."

"I'm not! I'm trying to understand why you'd be scared! Was it bad before, with your ex? Did you not like it?"

"Ah no, it's not like that," Jongin whined. "It's just... have you seen him? Taemin, I mean. He's like-... He's so pretty, it's intimidating! What if I'm too awkward? I can barely breathe after kissing him, he's literally the most beautiful person I've ever seen... I don't know if I could handle even just seeing him naked."

Then Chanyeol burst out in laughters, and Jongin winced, mortified.

"You said you wouldn't laugh," Jongin screeched.

Chanyeol rolled over on the couch, bringing his hands to his face to whip away a tear from one of his eye. And Jongin was convinced he was just acting; that idiot wasn't crying for real and was faking it to humiliate him even more.

"Jongin, I swear to all that is holy... You're so freaking in love with him, it's adorable."

"You're the worst friend ever," Jongin complained.

"No I'm not."

Jongin pulled a face at him and Chanyeol sticked out his tongue.

"Anyway...," Chanyeol sighed, "you can take your time. You said you two didn't want to do it yet, so I guess it's good. You can wait until you feel like the sight of him alone won't make you faint."

"Will this day ever come?"

"Are you serious? I can't tell if you're serious. You have to be joking, right?"

Jongin glanced at him with a face as serious as a heart attack.

"You're so whipped," Chanyeol said.

"Yes. Yes, I am," Jongin whispered.

Chanyeol patted his head gently.

"Just try not to put Taemin on a pedestal, okay? That's not healthy. And just go step by step until you're not as nervous anymore."

As he nodded slowly to his best friend's wise words, Jongin suddenly recalled something Taemin said to him that morning. ' _Every time you want to kiss me, please remember I want to kiss you too._ ' And it comforted him all over again.

"Thanks, Channie."

"You're welcome. I barely did anything."

"I mostly needed to voice this out."

Chanyeol nudged him in the ribs again as he leaned on Jongin to straighten up a bit.

"Then I'm glad I could help. And, y'know... Taemin is also so smitten with you, you two kinda remind me of the two bears in Brother Bear."

"Which ones?" Jongin asked.

"The idiots who are always like 'You're the most gorgeous', 'No, you're gorgeous', 'No-oh-oh you're gorgeous uh!'"

Jongin gripped the pillow next to him and threw it at Chanyeol's face, making him bark in laughters all over again.

"Anyway, are we good now? Can we go back to the game?"

"Yeah, we can," Jongin mumbled, sitting back properly and getting his controller from the coffee table.

"You sure? Because I wanna win loyally and not because you got flustered over your boyfriend's ass...," Chanyeol snickered.

"You say that but you're a cheater and we both know it."

"Coming from the Cheating King, it doesn't mean a lot."

"I never cheat," Jongin exclaimed.

"Yeah, except all the damn time.

.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone !
> 
> Ah, it's been so long. I'm sorry I made you wait that much... tbh the last few weeks have been so incredibly difficult, I had the absolute worst writer block of my life. Not being able to write makes me very sad and moody. But here I am with the penultimate chapter of YMCOT. I'm very emo about finishing this fic, you know. I really loved writing it.  
> So. Thank you to everyone who came to read this. I really hope it made you feel soft. That's always my goal... to wrap you in fluffiness. I can also promise, pinky promise for real, that the next chapter will come soon. You won't have to wait too long.
> 
> Today's tea is “Océan de fraicheur”, from the french brand “les Jardins de Gaïa”. I told you about this brand already, they really do have wonderful teas. A green tea with orange peels that is incredibly refreshing.
> 
> That's it. I'm out. Thank you to everyone leaving me comments. I love you all very much. ♥  
> Take care and I'll see you soon.


	11. Oh ma chérie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning : this chapter contain an explicit sex scene. If you do not want to read it, you can skip the part between the two " - " signs.

.

When Jongin went back to Taemin's place a couple of days later, and saw the toothbrush that was now his, still laying in the cup on the sink, it made his heart flutter for a whole minute.

He had come on a Tuesday evening, after work, and they had spent hours talking about books, TV shows, sharing memories and kissing over their meal, before Jongin had shyly asked if he could stay the night again. Taemin's face had brightened up like a Christmas tree and he had spilled his ramyeons all over the bedsheets in his haste to say yes. It had resulted in Jongin's endless laughters and Taemin's red face as he had to redo his bed and find something else to eat.

Taemin had then looked at him timidly, twisting his fingers as he admitted that he had asked his boss to change his day off, so that he would have Wednesdays instead of Tuesdays, and Jongin's face had fell pitifully.

"Oh... But Wednesday is the day I always come to the shop," he had whined, much to Taemin's surprise. "I mean, I can still come on other days, but it was just easier as it's my-..."

Jongin had stopped himself, his eyes widening as realization suddenly struck him, and Taemin had been the one to laugh.

"Oh," Jongin had said.

"Yeah... 'oh'."

"So we have the same day off now?"

"We do."

Jongin had stopped kissing him only when he couldn't push away his tiredness anymore and had fallen asleep in Taemin's arms.

After a few more nights of sharing a bed with his boyfriend, Jongin had to admit that it was becoming more and more difficult to sleep alone. His faithful and very loved teddy bear Gomini just wasn't enough once he had gotten used to the weight of Taemin's head on his chest. He would have been embarrassed by how much he was getting attached to the other, if Taemin wasn't asking for them to meet and sleep together every time Jongin didn't dare to do it.

Something Jongin really liked, was when he got to wake up before Taemin. It was rare, but oh so precious. And it happened for the second time on a Wednesday morning, as they were huddled against each other in Jongin's bed. Taemin arose from the land of dreams in the exact same way as he did the first time Jongin has witnessed it. He scrunched his nose, puckered his lips, and fluttered his eyelashes lazily for a whole ten seconds, before closing his eyes again.

Jongin cooed at him and leaned to kiss his forehead, but Taemin was still lost in that place between sleep and awake, and didn't answer. It took a tremendous amount of kisses and cuddles before Taemin agreed to completely open his eyes, and what seemed to Jongin like a sweet eternity, before his boyfriend started to emit the slightest sounds.

"Someone doesn't want to wake up today, it seems," Jongin sing-songed in a teasing tone.

Taemin grunted and rubbed his face against Jongin's arm with a sigh.

"Taeminnie," Jongin called sweetly.

"Mhmm?"

Taemin tried to frown at him in annoyance, but with his sleepy pout and squinting eyes, it wasn't nearly as scary as he had hoped, and Jongin squealed.

"Why are you so awake already?" Taemin complained in a hoarse voice.

"I don't know," Jongin answered with a little laugh. "But I get to tease you for once. So I'm enjoying it."

Taemin shook his head lightly and pushed Jongin away with a sulky pout as he stretched his arms and legs in a long moan. Then he sat up, scratching his head, and looked absentmindedly at his feet poking from under the bedsheets. He felt Jongin's hand pulling at his shirt gently and turned around to blink at him.

"Don't get up so soon," Jongin whispered. "Come back to me."

"I'm not getting up," Taemin answered, a bit confused.

Jongin smiled brightly and tried to draw him closer again. Taemin shook his head and finally shifted to look at him better, one of his hand coming to stroke Jongin's torso.

"You're too hot," Taemin stammered.

"Am I?" Jongin smirked.

Taemin rolled his eyes at him.

"I mean it's too warm when we're cuddling. It's uncomfortable."

His explanation brought a pout on Jongin's lips and Taemin chuckled. He moved around to straddle Jongin's waist and looked down at him with a satisfied smile.

-

"Good thing I'm smart enough to find a solution to this little problem," he murmured.

Jongin's heart squeezed painfully in his chest as he saw Taemin, sitting on top of him, remove his night shirt. His eyes widened as he took in the sight before him. The morning sun lightened up the room through the curtains just enough for him to admire every line of Taemin's chest.

Taemin leaned against him, relying on his forearms laid on each side of Jongin's head.

"What do you think? Isn't that better?"

"Yes," Jongin breathed out laboriously. "Yes, it's better."

If he were to think more about it, it was probably a lie. Having Taemin almost naked laying on top of him didn't exactly make it more comfortable or less warm to Jongin, quite the opposite. But he couldn't care less about that kind of trivial things. Definitely not when Taemin's skin against his was so soft and the smile on his lips so promising.

Jongin clenched his fists, his eyes narrowing on Taemin's mouth as his boyfriend came even closer to kiss him gently. Taemin squirmed a bit, his hands coming to cup Jongin's face and stroke his cheeks. He smiled through the kiss when he felt Jongin's fingers loosen and make their way to his thighs, traveling to his back in soft caresses.

"Your heart is beating so fast," Taemin hummed.

He went away from Jongin's lips, leaving a myriad of kisses on his jaw and neck. He could feel the thunderous pulses of Jongin's heart resonating against his hand, settled on his neck, and it made him smile.

"Yours too," Jongin stuttered, as if he needed something to shield himself and excuse how feverish he felt.

Taemin snorted at his comment and left another lazy kiss on Jongin's chest, feeling his heartbeat get even wilder under his lips.

"That's because I'm very happy and excited right now," Taemin explained, matter-of-factly, in a low voice.

"Are you?"

Taemin hummed again in agreement and sighed with delight as he felt Jongin hold him closer, his hands gripping his sides and spreading over his back. Jongin writhed under him, turning his head to chase him and capture his lips in a deep kiss. The sound of their bodies brushing against each other was enough to make Jongin light-headed and his palms sweaty; he gasped audibly, breaking their loving kiss, when Taemin pressed himself harder on him. His whole body felt on fire and he whimpered, his hips jostling up to meet Taemin's again.

"Taemin," Jongin moaned, barely registering what he was doing.

Taemin bit his neck softly and shivered in his arms when he felt Jongin's hands clutch his buttocks in retaliation. He tried to straighten up a bit but Jongin's arms were keeping him firmly against his body and the sweet roll of his hips was making it difficult for Taemin to think. He let himself fall completely at Jongin's mercy and kissed his way to his face again.

"Can I touch you?" Taemin pleaded in a breathless whisper. "Please Jongin, can I touch you?"

Jongin's hold on him loosened just a bit and Taemin clung to his shoulders before he lifted himself up. Jongin was blushing as he nodded hastily, not trusting his voice enough to speak. Taemin bit his bottom lip, smiling sweetly to him and sat up on his waist. His small hands traced random patterns all over Jongin's chest and finally stopped when they brushed over his own thighs.

"Are you sure it's okay?" Taemin insisted.

Jongin swallowed with some difficulty, but nodded again, his eyes blinking nervously when Taemin brought his hands higher up his torso against, flicking his nipples.

"Why are you so silent?"

Jongin breathed out loudly, holding onto Taemin's waist for dear life.

"You're... so pretty," Jongin confessed. "I'm a bit lost... I feel stupid."

Taemin opened his mouth in surprise, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to feel flattered or concerned.

"We can stop if you're not ready," he tried to offer, but Jongin didn't even let him finish.

"No. Please," he begged, his voice wavering. "I'll do better."

At that, Taemin widened his eyes for a second, and then smiled brightly. He bowed enough for his lips to meet Jongin's collarbone and left a trail of kisses from one shoulder to the other, satisfied to feel his boyfriend shiver under his touch.

"Oh but you're not doing anything wrong," Taemin purred. "You're your usual perfect self, I assure you."

Before Jongin could find anything to answer, Taemin cupped his crotch in one hand, pulling out a low moan from him. Taemin came again to assault his mouth, kissing him breathless as he rubbed at his hard-on. He nibbled and sucked Jongin's lips, feeling himself growing harder just by hearing the soft sighs that left that plushy mouth.

"You're perfect," Taemin repeated in a broken moan.

He tugged on Jongin's boxer, freeing him from it as his hand gripped him again, tightening his hold and sliding his fingers along his length. Taemin rubbed the palm of his hand on the tip of Jongin's penis, using his precum to ease the friction of his fingers on him. Jongin hiccuped, his mouth falling open and his hands clamped themselves on Taemin's thighs.

He was overwhelmed. The sight of Taemin, eyes filled with lust and plushy lips puffy from their kisses, combined with the feeling of Taemin's thumb playing with the tip of his cock was too much for his heart to process and Jongin felt like he was about to combust from the crushing love invading him. He moaned loudly when Taemin stroked him faster and started to buck his hips against Jongin's pelvis.

Jongin brought one hand to Taemin's neck to force him down into another kiss as his other hand made its way into his shorts. He swallowed the strangled whimper Taemin let out when Jongin's warm fingers took a hold of him.

They were humping against other, desperately moving their hands and hips, not caring in the least that they were completely out of rhythm and messy. Taemin's head had fallen on Jongin's chest, his forehead pressed against the other's sternum and he cried out a loud curse when Jongin moved his hips just right. He narrowed his thighs around Jongin and kissed every part of him that his mouth could reach.

Jongin was whispering a litany of his name right into his ear and Taemin whimpered. When Jongin suddenly withdrew his hand, Taemin perked up, eyes glistening with confusion, a sulky pout on his lips.

"Why?" he whined.

Jongin answered by rolling them over, knocking all air out of Taemin's lungs as he pressed him against the mattress and hurried up to take his boxers completely off of him. He discarded his own as well and plopped down against him with a choked moan.

Taemin forgot all complaints that could have been voiced as soon as their naked bodies melted against each other. He saw Jongin brought his hand between them, holding Taemin again and stroking him a few times. Then he pushed his hips down once more, their cocks brushing against each other in a moist sound that made Taemin tremble.

"Jongin," Taemin called in a moan. "Jongin, kiss me."

Jongin put his forearm next to Taemin's head, trying to hold on the weight of his body to not crush his boyfriend, and obeyed diligently.

Taemin's hands were all over him, feeling each of his muscles and scratching his back in an attempt to ground himself. He almost protested when Jongin stepped back from his lips, but refrained himself as he saw Jongin looking at him with lost and adoring eyes. Jongin called him, again and again, his hand still stroking him messily as he came all over their stomachs in a low moan. Taemin went still for a second, almost forgetting about his own pleasure, and his heart seemed to explode in his chest like a dying star.

He couldn't help the very loud sob that left his mouth when Jongin's hand tightened on him, trying to keep stroking him fast even as his whole body was shivering from his own orgasm. Taemin felt himself tip-toeing over the edge and he cupped Jongin's face in his hands, kissing him again before he lost himself in his dark eyes, and his cum spurted between them. Jongin jerked him off until Taemin whined that it was enough, and let himself fall on him, breathless.

-

Taemin's tired arms immediately came to circle him and hug him tight as he whispered his name softly, without any reason other than how perfect it felt. Jongin hummed in return, his fingers brushing Taemin's shoulders.

"I hereby declare that today was one of our top three best mornings," Taemin simpered.

His comment made Jongin burst in giggles on top of him.

"I agree."

Jongin propped himself on his forearms once again to look down at Taemin with a smile. His eyes were shining with happiness and for a second, he thought he should say it. Three little words were burning his lips, demanding to be said, demanding to be confessed. His heart was beating wildly, waiting to be completely offered to Taemin on a silver plate. Jongin didn't realize that he had been staring in awe for almost a minute now, but Taemin's face softened, as if he could read his mind, as if he understood what was making him tremble like that.

Jongin's lips broke into a shy smile and he blinked his thoughts away with a blush.

"We should get up and clean ourselves. And then I'll make you some French tea."

If Jongin noticed the slightly sad setback that flickered in Taemin's eyes, he decided not to dwell on it. It disappeared quickly anyway, and Taemin found himself smiling at Jongin again, asking for a kiss before he agreed to follow him up out of the bed.

 

Taemin was sitting on the counter in the kitchen, wearing one of Jongin's tee-shirt and sweatpants, kissing said man unconscious as their teas were brewing, when a curious sound made them part. They turned away and the look of horror on their faces would have made Chanyeol snicker if only he had payed the slightest attention to them. But he didn't. Instead he laboriously made his way to one chair and let his head fall on the table as he sat.

"Channie?" Jongin called, his face white.

His best friend growled and closed his eyes.

"Why aren't you in uni?"

Jongin's voice had gone acute by the end of his sentence and his fingers were clawing at Taemin's knees. The morning was suddenly replaying in full volume in his head and he realized that they had clearly lacked any kind of discretion.

Chanyeol twisted his head, resting on his chin as he frowned at him.

"I don't have lessons on Wednesday's mornings anymore. I told you like ten times already."

Jongin winced and cowered on himself, hiding his head against Taemin's chest to not face his roommate. Taemin circled his head with his arms and offered an apologetic smile to Chanyeol, who frowned.

"Are you okay?" Taemin asked politely.

Chanyeol grunted.

"Nah... I've been playing online with Baekhyun until like... 4am. I'm exhausted. But we were in such an awesome game. And I didn't even hear my alarm this morning. I literally just woke up and I feel like my soul left that tired body of mine."

Jongin's head suddenly perked up, eyes and smile wide.

"Oh really?" he asked.

"Yeah," Chanyeol whined. "By the way, sorry if I yelled a bit loudly during the night. Baekhyun can be such a cheater sometimes. I hope I didn't disturb you two lovebirds during your beauty sleep."

"Don't worry about that," Taemin sneered as Jongin kissed his cheek. "We didn't hear you."

"Good then."

With a renewed energy, Jongin left the cozy hug of Taemin's arms to get back to preparing breakfast.

 

 

In the middle of September, Jongin did some kind of important discovery about his lovely boyfriend. Even as the summer extended and the weather didn't seem to want to cool down at all, once the 1st of September came and passed, the only thing Taemin talked about was autumn. And he had a lot of things to say about his proclaimed favorite season of the year. It wasn't only about Halloween, which Jongin had rightfully thought would be the first argument about Taemin's euphoria. Dressing up and watching horror movies while stuffing his face with candies was apparently only the cherry on top of the autumnal cake of Lee Taemin. He had already bargained with Jongin so that they would watch Halloween themed-movies, the ones that weren't too scary, the whole week before the fateful day. But apart from the 31st October, Taemin loved about everything that was autumn related. It included, in a non-exhaustive list, sweaters (and in particular Jongin's, and he was apparently on a mission to steal them all), blankets, cuddling on a rainy day, walking on dry leaves on the ground, the fact that all bugs would die and leave him alone, and more importantly, buying about all the teas he could. Because finally, the weather was gentle enough for them to drink a warm cup of tea without sweating all over it and thus, Taemin felt alive again after three months of sadness.

As they sat at their usual favorite spot in the tea room where they had their very first date together, drinking the same cherry flavored black tea, Taemin was ranting all over again about the fantastic order he was about to make at the tea shop. All of his favorite seasonal blends were apparently back in the catalog, along with three new flavors he absolutely couldn't wait to taste.

"We're finally having a pumpkin flavored tea, Jongin. Can you believe this? And I mean tea, like a real tea. Not only some disgusting, flavorless pumpkin _infusion_. I am so eager to get my hands on it! And I can't wait for you to taste the apples  & black tea blend. It's delicious. You're gonna love it!"

Jongin only smiled, nodding sweetly to all of Taemin's blabbering. There was truly nothing Jongin loved more than to look at Taemin ranting over something he was passionate about and watch his eyes light up with delight and his face come alive with a million expressions.

Then Taemin had started to ask which books Jongin planned to read in the next few months, rhapsodizing over how cosy it would be to snuggle against each other on his bed with warm teas and books and how they would have such a great time together in autumn. Taemin was animatedly chirping and asking him trivial things, and Jongin looked at him fondly. At some point, when Taemin proposed that they bought three pieces of the delicious chocolate cake in display, to eat as dessert at Jongin's that night (one piece was for Chanyeol, because Taemin never forgot him), Jongin realized how much he loved him. It made him a bit dizzy with joy.

As they left the tea room, a bag full of chocolate cakes hanging in Jongin's hand, Taemin pouted at him.

"Jongin-ah," he called. "I'm sorry could you wait for me a minute? I'll go back to the toilet before we go. I won't last until your apartment after all that tea."

"Of course," Jongin smiled, "I'll wait for you here."

Taemin squeezed his arm with a nod and disappeared back into the shop. Jongin took out his phone by habit, checking if he had any new message as he was waiting. He smiled when he saw the small notification from his conversation chat with Kyungsoo.

" **I got your and Taemin's teas and candies today! I'll send them all to you next week if that's okay. Hope you're alright.** "

" **Sorry for the late reply. I'm on a date with Taem'...,** " Jongin typed with a cheesy grin. " **thanks a lot! We'll make you a super big package soon too!** "

He waited only a few seconds before he saw a reply.

" **Don't worry about it. Enjoy your romantic evening, you sappy puppy.** "

Jongin chuckled at the text and was about to answer back when he heard his name being called. He perked up, his eyes falling on Junmyeon, coming to him with a wide smile.

"Junmyeon... hi," Jongin stammered with a blink.

"Hi there," Junmyeon chirped. "Long time no see, how have you been?"

"I'm alright, what about you?"

Jongin heard the door behind him open and soon felt a sneaky little hand find its way around his waist as Taemin pressed himself on his side.

"I'm back, did you miss me?"

It felt to Jongin like everything was happening in slow motion. His heart shrank to the size of a pea, and fell all the way to the ground as he saw Junmyeon frown and turn his head to Taemin in confusion. Then there was Taemin, next to him, who froze on his spot, realizing Jongin wasn't alone.

And the very last thing that Jongin expected to happen, happened. Junmyeon's eyes went round and big.

"Oh, Taeminnie?" he blurted.

Jongin's eyebrows shot up to his forehead in surprise.

"Aaah, Junmyeon, it's been so long."

And right before Jongin's eyes, Taemin peeled himself off of him and gave a quick, friendly hug to Junmyeon. As he looked at them in utter turmoil, wondering if that insufferable feeling in his guts was a misplaced jealousy or a legit perplexity, Taemin smiled brightly at him.

"You two know each other?"

"I was about to ask the same thing," Jongin pouted.

Taemin scrunched his nose with a slight laugh that was far too adorable and Jongin had to mentally slap himself to focus on the current matter on hands.

"This is so weird," Taemin giggled.

But Junmyeon was still looking at both of them in turns, seemingly in deep reflexion.

"Are you two-...?" he asked Taemin, leaving his question for them to understand.

Jongin saw the mischievous glint in Taemin's eyes, the one he knew so very well. Still he couldn't prevent the next words falling from Taemin's mouth as the man snuggled closer to him, just enough to make Jongin blush without making everyone in the street turn to them.

"Yes, we are," Taemin whispered.

Jongin would have been delighted to hear the pride with which Taemin affirmed to be his -… what did he even imply? Jongin wasn't sure, but it sounded a lot like Taemin saying they were dating- boyfriend, if it didn't mean that he had been suddenly out-ed to one of his friend.

"Taemin," Jongin murmured in horror.

Taemin turned to him and his smile fell out the second he saw the tears invading Jongin's eyes.

"What's wrong?" Taemin murmured, coming closer to hold his hand.

As soon as the words left his lips, Taemin seemed to realized what he had done.

"You're gay," Junmyeon whispered, looking at Jongin, his eyes blinking furiously.

Jongin froze on his spot and for a moment, he felt like he was about to faint. He saw the regret filling Taemin's face, he saw him mouth an apology, but it all seemed unreal.

"I never-...," Junmyeon stammered.

Then Junmyeon noticed Jongin's quivering lips and his unfocused eyes, he recognized the anguish in Taemin's frown, and he snapped out of his surprise to put his hand on Jongin's arm.

"Jongin, it's alright," Junmyeon quickly said, as quietly as he could, "it's alright. I'm gay too."

Jongin gasped. There were too many plot twists happening for his comfort and he was starting to feel very uncomfortable.

"What?" he croaked.

"I thought you weren't-...!" Junmyeon winced. "But well... I am. Turns out you are. So we are."

Jongin rubbed his eyes with a long sigh.

"I'm sorry, Jonginnie. I thought he knew-... since you know each other-... Ah, are you mad at me?" Taemin asked in a tiny voice.

"I'm not... mad at you. I just need a minute," Jongin breathed out.

Taemin nodded slowly and exchanged a few words with Junmyeon, something about walking up to a bench, and Jongin followed them absentmindedly. Junmyeon, the Kim Junmyeon, Chanyeol's friend, was gay too. Where was this coming from?

Jongin sat down heavily between Taemin and Junmyeon, and sighed.

"How do you two know each other?" he asked.

"Do you remember my friend Minho?" Taemin asked, his gentle smile back on his pretty lips.

Jongin frowned at the name.

"The one who constantly wants to hug you?"

Taemin laughed a bit.

"Ah, don't worry, he calmed down since we're together. But yes, that's him. Well, he's also friend with Junmyeon. He set us up on a date a few years ago. That's how we met."

Junmyeon thought it was sweet, the way Jongin pinched his lips and moved just a tiny bit closer to Taemin when he heard about that. As if he needed to assert again that he was Taemin's current boyfriend.

"We didn't make it to the second date, though," Junmyeon reassured him. Or tried to.

"Why is that?" Jongin asked.

He wasn't sure if he even wanted to know, but somehow, he was very curious as to why Junmyeon wouldn't want a second date with Taemin. What kind of a fool would not want to see his boyfriend again?

"It was a bit too awkward between us," Taemin laughed. "I think we're better as friends."

It still didn't make any sense to Jongin, but he didn't insist.

"I'm really happy for you two, though," Junmyeon smiled. "I really would have never thought-... damn, Jongdae's gonna be awful."

"What does it have to do with Jongdae?" Jongin asked, panicking again.

Junmyeon rubbed his neck, seemingly shy.

"Ah, actually, he kept saying that you were gay. But I always insisted that you weren't... He's gonna be insufferable for a whole week."

"Why were you two discussing me being gay?" Jongin hissed, feeling uncomfortable again.

"We kept wondering if it was safe for us to come out to you guys. Sehun and Minseok know already about our relationship, but I was scared of you, Chanyeol and Baekhyun. Jongdae was always telling me that you were gay and that he could feel it with that stupid gaydar, and he said Chanyeol is so overprotective of you that if you were, he would know it and that meant he accepted you. He had all those crazy theories that made him sound like a mad man to be honest... Now I feel kind of stupid that I didn't listen."

He sighed with a sheepish pout and Jongin let himself fall completely over the bench.

"So you're dating Jongdae?"

"Ah, yes I am."

"I had a crush on Jongdae," Jongin squeaked with a disappointed look.

"Hey," Taemin whined, poking his fingers into Jongin's arm. "I'm still here."

Jongin turned to him, shaking his head suddenly.

"It was like... one year ago. I'm sorry, I just-... I'm surprised. I don't care about Jongdae anymore."

Taemin kept his sulky pout but shrugged.

"Well," Junmyeon coughed, his lips a thin line as well. "We're together since two years already anyway. You wouldn't have had any chance."

"I didn't mean that I wanted to date him," Jongin complained. "Forget I even said anything. I need to lay down. It was a random thought. A random thought, okay? Anyway... if you're worried about that, Chanyeol is very open-minded and he will accept you two without problem. I don't know about Baekhyun, because I've always been too much of a scaredy cat and I asked Channie to never say anything to anyone."

Junmyeon relaxed a bit, and finally nodded, a grateful smile blooming on his lips.

"Thank you, Jongin."

Jongin flinched a bit.

"Say," Junmyeon continued. "Will you come next week to Jongdae's birthday? I didn't hear any answer from you. I guess maybe we'll make a coming out then... That would make Jongdae happy. And uh-... I won't tell anyone that you're gay if it makes you uneasy. I can even keep the secret from Dae, if needed. I said those things like-... he'll go all 'I told you so' on me, but I won't actually tell him if you don't want me to."

Jongin seemed a bit taken aback.

"You want me to come to the birthday party?"

"Well, yes, of course. Didn't Chanyeol tell you?"

"He told me, but I thought-... I mean, I didn't think you had actually invited me," Jongin confessed, his voice getting quiet. "I just assumed he was trying to get me to tag along."

Taemin tugged on his arm and leaned against him. He took Jongin's hand in his, intertwining their fingers and sat in a way that would make it invisible to any passerby. And it made Jongin's heart flutter.

Junmyeon only sighed.

"None of us see you as 'Chanyeol's friend', just so you know. Sehun and Jongdae, in particular, keep wanting to invite you to parties, but then Chanyeol always says that you are busy. I thought maybe you didn't feel comfortable hanging out too much. But if it's because you think we don't really want you around, you're wrong."

Jongin stayed silent at that, looking at his feet. He felt a little bit like an idiot, if he were to be honest. Most of the time, he told Chanyeol that he wasn't comfortable coming to their little gatherings, because he genuinely thought his best friend must have insisted for them to invite him so he could get out and make friends.

"I'm gonna go now, I'm actually on my way to Jongdae's so... You're both invited to come next week-end."

"Thanks, Junmyeon," Taemin said.

Junmyeon excused himself and left, giving Jongin one last pat on the shoulder.

"Ah, Junmyeon," Jongin called.

The man turned back and looked at him with a smile.

"Yes?"

"You can tell Jongdae... It's-... it's okay. You can tell him. Only him."

Junmyeon nodded gently.

"Okay then."

He waved at them one last time before walking away.

"Are you alright?" Taemin asked gently once they were alone again.

Jongin let out a very long breath and rolled his head to face him.

"I'm not sure. I feel like I just rode Space Mountain, honestly."

Taemin gave him a soft smile.

"You know, I still want to apologize for what I said. I didn't think it through, and it was wrong. You told me that you weren't out to that many people, but because I know about Junmyeon... I forgot. I sincerely regret that. Maybe I'm a bit too eager to tell people that I'm dating you."

"It's okay. I mean, I almost got a heart attack... but well... he's a friend and you knew he was gay too. So I guess it's understandable."

Taemin nodded and let go of his hand to sit a bit straighter.

"So... do you want to go to that birthday party? I mean, if they come out and we're there together... maybe your other friends will ask questions. I don't want you to feel like you have to come out to them because of me. Even if they're open-minded, okay?"

"Thanks. I think I'd like to go, though. If you want to. It could be nice and even if it means getting out of the closet, I'll actually be less nervous with you around."

Taemin gave him a very tender smile.

"I want to kiss you right now, Kim Jongin," he murmured.

"I want to kiss you too."

Taemin pressed his finger on Jongin's nose with a chuckle.

"We're going to that party then, it's decided," he chirped.

"I guess we do."

"So that I can see that Jongdae guy for myself. I've never actually met him..."

Jongin deflated like a balloon and puckered his lips.

"Don't be like this," he whined, "I swear it was so long ago. I just thought he was pretty. But he's like-... nothing compared to you! His beauty? Irrelevant. He doesn't even come close to you. Just let it go."

Taemin batted his eyelashes with a smug grin.

"I just want to take a glance at my challenger, you know."

"Taemin! It was a very small crush that lasted a couple of weeks. It was tiny, like the tiny precious mole on your beautiful nose, on your beautiful face. That I like very much."

"I cannot tell if this comparison is sweet or idiotic," Taemin snorted.

"It's sweet. Sweet like you."

Taemin rolled his eyes and got up.

"Let's go home now, you smooth fool. So that I can kiss you."

Jongin's smile came back full force at that and he straightened up, trotting behind Taemin.

"If I meet your friends next week-end, will you be okay to meet mine for Halloween? We always throw a little party. Junmyeon should be there too. And we dress up," Taemin offered.

"I'll be happy to."

"Thank you."

They made their way to the subway and it was taking all of their self-control not to hold hands.

"Jongin? Can I ask you something?"

"Yes, of course."

"We didn't do anything last month but... you know... actually... next week-end is supposed to be like... our two months anniversary? Kind of," Taemin stammered, a light blush coming up to redden his cheeks. "I mean, I don't know when to exactly say it is. I don't know which day to pick as the start of you and me... Is this important to you? I mean, if it's not, then it's okay."

Jongin put his arm around Taemin's shoulders in a manner that he wished could be seen as friendly to anyone else. He looked straight ahead and bit his lips as he could feel Taemin's surprised stare lingering on his face.

"I started to count at our first date," he confessed in a whisper. "So, it would be the 23th."

Jongin glanced at Taemin, only to see him smile happily.

"The 23th, then," Taemin nodded.

"We'll make it special. Because I was scared to bring it up last month."

Taemin wiggled on his feet next to him and suddenly started to walk faster.

"Let's hurry up. I want to kiss you so badly."

Jongin sighed softly, and watched as Taemin suddenly stopped on his tracks to turn back to him with a frown.

"Come on, why did you stop walking just when I said that?" he whined.

Jongin stood there, immobile, in the middle of the street. With the sun setting down behind Taemin, he had to squint to look at him properly, but he didn't care. He just wanted to bath in that sight forever, because Taemin looked so lovely that it should have been forbidden. Jongin loved the dark roots of his hair, and how those rebellious strands kept coming into his eyes. He loved that Taemin was wearing one of his shirt that day, and how it looked even better on him. He loved that confused pout on his lips and how his tiny hands were clenched into fists.

"Kim Jongin...," Taemin impatiently threatened, "what's gotten into you now?"

Jongin was even fond of that annoyed tone of his voice. And how he kept blinking, as if to chase away his nervousness at his boyfriend's behavior.

"Taeminnie?"

The frown between Taemin's eyebrows softened as he heard his name said with so much tenderness.

"Yes?"

"I love you."

Taemin hiccuped. His mouth fell open, but he was unable to utter a single sound. Jongin kept looking at him, so lovingly, as if he wasn't even waiting for Taemin's answer. Because he really wasn't. He wasn't expecting anything, he wasn't wondering if Taemin loved him back. He genuinely loved this man with his whole heart and that was enough for him. And in that moment, while Taemin looked so ethereal in front of him, he wasn't scared to tell him anymore.

"I love you too," Taemin weeped.

Jongin's smile widened impossibly and it lightened his whole face. He came a bit closer and pressed his index on Taemin's nose.

"Are you crying?" he asked, stunned.

Taemin took a step back and cleared his throat.

"No, I'm not!"

"Are you sure?"

"Maybe I have a few tears in my eyes because I love you so much, but don't go saying I'm actually crying. Now, please, come on. I want to cuddle on your bed as soon as possible or else, I'm going to combust."

Jongin laughed and followed him joyfully. His heart had never felt so light and yet so full at the same time. It was such an incredible feeling, to be loved by Lee Taemin.

.

.

.

**THE END**

.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear everyone,
> 
> YMCOT came to an end. Thank you tremendously for reading it, thank you to each and every precious person who took some time to write me a comment at any point of this story. Thank you for every kudo, every little show of support you gave me, thank you even if you were silent but enjoyed the fic. Thank you to every person who told me that while reading this fic, they wanted to drink tea or pick up that one book from Roald Dahl they had forgotten for so long.  
> I do hope that the last chapter didn't disappoint any of you & I cross my fingers that it gave you one last fluff overdose & some nice little things to think about. ♥  
> I have really enjoyed writing this fic. It was supposed to be a oneshot, but I have loved this AU so much I kept imagining more stuff to add to it. It was such a pleasure to share it with all of you.
> 
> I might sound a bit emo, but it's been so long since I finished a story like this one, I feel really accomplished. I already can't wait to come back to you with another Taekai fanfic.  
> Also, if you want to talk about Taekai fluff (or anything else), you can find me on Tumblr, @moonyki.
> 
> & today's tea is "Oh ma chérie", from the brand Jardins de l'Hermitage. It's a black tea with cherries and the name is actually a damn pun (I love puns). "Oh ma chérie" literally translate to "Oh my darling" but "chérie" sounds quite like "cherry". "Oh ma chérie" is feminine, but the pun was too good for me to pass the occasion of using it for the last chapter. Ehe. 
> 
> I wish you all the best. Take care of yourselves, little ones. ♥


	12. Teas index

 

Hi guys.

So, _You're my cup of tea_ 's main theme was our beloved Taekai meeting, bonding & falling in love over a cup of delicious tea. I've talked about many blends through the 11 chapters, and decided to put together this little index, for you to find back all the teas I spoke about, if you ever want to try one of them.  
Because I truly am a nerd and I am so in love with tea.

 

The teas are sorted by appearance.

 

 

 **Nectar Enchanté** – _Les Jardins de Gaïa_

Green tea, natural flavors (peach, apricot, mango, vanilla).

[One of the three teas that Baekhyun offered to Jongin as a Christmas present, and Jongin's favorite. Also, the tea Kyungsoo made to Jongin when he started moping after the disastrous incident where he confessed to Taemin unwillingly.]

 

 

 **Thé de Noël** – _Compagnie Coloniale_

Black tea, cherry, almonds, ginger, blueberry petals.

[One of the three teas that Baekhyun offered to Jongin as a Christmas present.]

Note : this is my absolute favorite Christmas tea in the whole universe.

 

 

 **Premiers Flocons** – _Les Jardins de Gaïa_

Oolong tea, natural flavors (raspberry, vanilla), cocoa barks, cinnamon pieces, rose petals, cornflower petals.

[One of the three teas that Baekhyun offered to Jongin as a Christmas present.]

 

 

 **Sakura Impérial** – _Mariage Frères_

Sencha green tea, cherry blossoms.

[The tea Jongin bought the first time he came to Taemin's teashop.]

 

 

 **Thé des Moines** – _Palais des Thés_

Green & black tea blend, marigold flowers, vanilla pods.

[The tea Chanyeol bought for Jongin when he went to the teashop to take a look at Taemin.]

 

 

**Green tea with goji berries**

Sencha green tea, goji berries, lemongrass, blueberry flowers.

[One of the tea that Jongin bought to send to Kyungsoo.]

 

 

 **Hyeonmi-nokcha** or **Gen-maicha**

Green tea with roasted brown rice.

[One of the tea that Jongin bought to send to Kyungsoo. Also, Taemin's absolute favorite kind of tea.]

 

 

**Ginseng Tea**

[One of the tea that Jongin bought to send to Kyungsoo]

 

 

 **Seven Samurai** – _Gurman's_

Green tea, pineapple, mango, papaya, coconut, cocoa beans.

[One of the tea that Jongin bought to send to Kyungsoo.]

 

 

 **Jardin du Luxembourg** – _Dammann_

Oolong tea, hawthorn, rose, jasmine, acacia.  
[The french tea that Taemin adores and that Jongin offered him thanks to Kyungsoo's help.]

 

 

 **Pomegranate** – _English Tea Shop_

Green tea, pomegranate, rose petals.  
[The tea Chanyeol made for Jongin when he was too busy texting Taemin to do it himself.]

 

 

**Lemon Cheesecake**

White tea, lemongrass, lemon peel, apple slices, peppermint leaves, white hibiscus flowers, rosemary leaves.

[The tea Taemin drank during his first date with Jongin.]

 

 

**Raspberry Mascarpone**

Green tea, strawberry pieces, rosebuds, mauve and sunflower blossoms.

[The tea Jongin drank during his first date with Taemin.]

 

 

 **Pêche Abricot** – _Nature & Découvertes_

White tea, natural flavors (peach, apricot).

[The tea Taemin said he ordered especially for Jongin, thinking he would love it, during their second date.]

 

 

 **Macaron Cassis Violette** – _Dammann_

Green tea, pieces of pineapple, flower petals, blackcurrant.

[The tea Jongin offered to Taemin when they went to his place for the first time. Aka, the tea from their first kiss.]

 

 

**Prickly Pear**

Green tea, mango pieces, prickly pear.

[The tea that Jongin & Taemin drank cold during their movie night with pizzas.]

 

 

 **Océan de fraîcheur** – _Les Jardins de Gaïa_

Green tea, orange peels, essential oils (tangerine, bergamot, sweet orange, blood orange).

[The tea that Taemin made for Jongin during their lazy first sunday together.]

 

 

 **Oh ma chérie** – _Les Jardins de L'Hermitage_

Black tea, cherry-kirsch aromas, sugar hearts, rose petals.

[Very last tea. The one Taemin & Jongin both drank when they went back to the tearoom where they had their first date.]

 

 

♥

 


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